Encyclia spatella (Rchb. f.) Schltr. 1924 - in situ in Jalisco Mexico 6/01

Another Flower same area in Jalisco Photo by © Jay Pfahl

Drawing Drawing by © R Solano

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Common Name The Spatulate-Petaled Encyclia

Flower Size 1 1/2" [3.75 cm]

Endemic to Jalisco, Michoacan and Morelos states of Mexico where it occurs at 750 to 1500 meters in elevation as a medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte [lithophytes found in the same areas are attributed to Encyclia huerta] in oak forests or lava flows near tropical forests with clustered, conical to oblong-pyriform pseudobulbs carrying 2, apical, coriaceous-fleshy, strap-shaped, acute, conduplicate below leaves that blooms in the summer on an apical, racemose to branched, to 4' [120 cm] long, fractiflex, subdensely, successively several to 40 flowered inflorescence with amplexicaul, widely triangular, obtuse, scarious, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts .

Jalisco MX., 610m elev., 40 klm S.E. of Puerto Vallarta, epiphytic on oaks.

This species which is always an epiphyte, Encyclia huerta [always a lithophyte], Encyclia meliosma and Encyclia aenicta are all very close in most characteristics and are certainly related, Dressler & Pollard separate them essentially by, for Encyclia spatella the lip being acuminate [ending in a point] the length of the column .22 to .28" [5.5 to 7 mm], for E meliosma the lip being obtuse, retuse or mucronate and the column measuring between .28 to .42" [7 to 10.5 mm] . Encyclia aenicta is more often a terrestrial than an epiphyte and has less flair to the lip.

Synonyms *Epidendrum spatella Rchb. f. 1856

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Bonplandia 4: 214 Rchb.f 1856 as Epidendrum spatellum;

*Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 27:137 Colombia Schlechter 1924 not;

The Genus Encyclia in Mexico photo 65 Dressler & Pollard 1974 photo fide;

Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 McVaugh 1985 drawing fide;

Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol 5 pg 126 pl 64 Withner 1998 photo not = E huerta;

Orquideas del Estado de Morelos ORQUÍDEA (MÉX.) VOLUMEN 16 NÚMERO ÚNICO enero 2002 drawing/photo not = E huertae;

Botanicas Orchids Laurel Glen 2002 photo fide;

Icones Orchidacearum 5 & 6 Orchids Of Mexico Parts 2 & 3 Plate 567 Hagsater, Soto 2002 drawing fide;

Orchids of Mexico Hagsater, Soto, Salazar, Jimenez, Lopez & Dressler 2005

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