Encyclia polybulbon [Swartz] Dressler 1961
Photos by © Milan Vágner
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
Plant in situ in Vera Cruz Mexico
Photo by © Edouard Faria
Drawing by © Fritz Hamer 1988
to 
to EARLY
Common Name The Many Bulbed Encyclia
Flower Size to 1 1/4" [3 cm]
Found from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and also in Jamaica and Cuba, in humid mixed forests on oaks as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cold growing epiphyte or lithophyte, at elevations of 600-3200 meters, with ovoid to narrowly ovoid, laterally compressed, yellow-green pseudobulbs carrying 1 to 3, towards the apex, elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, retuse leaves that blooms from fall to early spring on a single flowered, apical, 1/2" to 1 1/5" [1.25 to 3 cm] long inflorescence subtended by a slender spathe and arising from the apice of the mature pseudobulb and carrying a large fragrant sandalwood to clove scented flower.
"Distinguished by its creeping habit and the proportionally large, solitary flowers with undivided white lip and the peculiar horn-like extensions ofthe column. When not in flower the orchid can be confused with Hormidiu pygmaeum but cabn be easily recognized by the distinctly notched leaf apices." Dressler 1974
Grow mounted on tree fern, cork or wood to accomodate the rambling nature of the plant, partial sun, cool to warm temperatures and you will be rewarded with multiple bloomings.
Synonyms Bulbophyllum occidentale Spreng 1827; Dinema cubincola (Borhidi) H.Dietr. 1980; Dinema polybulbon [Sw.]Lindley 1831; Epidendrum cubincola Borhidi 1976 publ. 1977; *Epidendrum polybulbon Sw. 1788; Epidendrum polybulbon var. luteo-album Miethe
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ.: 124 Sw. 1788 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 3: 732 Spreng. 1826 as Bulbophyllum occidentale;
Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 111 Lindley 1831 as Dinemia polybulbon;
Bonplandia Rchb.f 1856 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
Flora of Jamaica Fawcett & Rendle 1910 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
Orchis 8: 33 Miethe 1914 as Epidendrum polybulbon var. luteoalbum
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as Dinena polybulbon
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as Dinena polybulbon photo fide;
Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing ok;
The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
AOS Bulletin Vol 29 No 10 1960 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
*Brittonia 13: 265 Dressler 1961;
AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 9 1961 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
AOS Bulletin Vol 31 No 3 1962 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 Epidendrum polybulbon;
AOS Bulletin Vol 37 # 6 1968 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
Die Orchideen #1 1-4 tafel 1&2 Rudolph Schlechter 1971 as Dinema polybulbon photo plant only;
Las Orquedias De El Salvador Vol 1 Hamer 1974 as Epidendrum polybulbon drawing/photo fide;
Acta Bot. Acad. Sci. Hung. 22: 295 Borhidi 1976 publ. 1977 as Epidendrum cubinicola;
Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 9 513 - 576 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 as Dinema polybulbon photo/drawing fide;
Orquideologia Vol 12 No 1 1977;
AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 5 1979;
Orquídea (Mexico City), n.s., 7[3]: 1979;
Math.-Naturwiss. Reihe 29: 524 H Dietr. 1980 as Dinema cubincola
Miniature Orchids Northen 1980 as Dinema polybulbon;
Las Orquedias de El Salvador Vol 3 Hamer 1981 drawing fide;
Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 694 Dodson 1982 Drawing fide;
Orchids of Guatemala and Belize Ames and Correll 1985 as Epidendrum polybulbon;
An Introdution to the orchids of Mexico Wiard 1987 photos fide;
Selbyana Vol 10 Orchids of Central America Hamer 1988 drawing fide;
Manual of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb, & Launert 1992 photo fide;
Orchids of Jamaica Gloudon & Ibisch 1995 photo fide;
Manual Of Orchids Stewart 1995;
Australian Orchid Review Vol 65 No 5 2000 photo;
Botanicas Orchids Laurel Glen 2002 photo fide;
Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 42 - 43 pg 2626 - 2762 Brieger 2001 as Dinema cubinicola;
Australian Orchid Review Vol 69 No 4 2004 photo as Dinema polybulbon;
The Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 7 The Debateable Epidendrum Withner & Harding 2004 as Dinema polybulbon;
The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho and Larramendi 2005 as Dinema cubinicola photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 75 #8 2006 as Encyclia cubinicola photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 3 2007 as Dinema polybulbon photo fide;
Australian Orchid Review Vol 72 No 2 2007 photo as Dinemea polybulbon;
Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 as Dinema polybulbon photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #7 2011 photo fide;
Guia de Orquideas de Chiapas Carlos Rommel Beutelspacher Baigts 2013 as Dinema polybulbon photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 78 #4 2014 as Dinema polybulbon photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 82 #3 2016;
AOS Bulletin Vol 88 # 1 2019 Dinemia polybulbon photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 88 #4 2019 as Dinema polybulbon photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #2 2019 as Dinema polybulbon photo fide;
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