Encyclia xipheres (Rchb. f.) Schltr. 1914
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Photo by © Patricia Harding
Photo by © Robert Weyman Bussey
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Found in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras in dry scrub and tropical deciduous forests and occurs below the altitude of 200 meters as a small sized, hot growing epiphytic species with a single leaf with clustered, conical pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, narrowly linear leaf and blooms in late spring on the last seasons pseudobulb with an apical, erect, to 12" [30 cm] long, simple or branched, loosely 4 to 14 flowered inflorescence that is longer than the leaves.
CAUTION!!!!!
For years this species has been commonly known in literature as Encyclia nematocaulon, a species only founnd in Cuba that has a smooth pedicel, ovary and capsule. This is easily seen in the photos above that the pedicel, ovary and capsule are very warty, almost spiny. Seems to be a fairly major feature that Sagra would not have missed in his drawing of E nematocaulon. So Reichenbach's Epidendrum xipheres takes precedence for the name of this specices that has been placed as a synonym of the other for years.
This species is best grown on a slab of tree fern or cork.
Synonyms Encyclia purpusii Schlechter 1925; Epidendrum xipheres Rchb.f. 1853; Epidendrum yucatanense Schlechter 1914
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Fl. Serres Jard. Eur. 9: 98 Rchb.f 1853 as Epidendrum xipheres
Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854 as Epidendrum xipheres;
Refugium Botanicum Reichenbach 1872 as Epidendrum xipheres
Refugium Botanicum Reichenbach 1872 as Epidendrum xipheres drawing fide;
* Orchideen Beschreib. Kult. Zücht.: 212 Schlechter 1914;
Orchideen Beschreib. Kult. Zücht.: 212 Schlechter 1914 as Epidendrum yucatanense pro syn.;
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as E xipheres;
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 21: 337 Schlechter 1925 as Encyclia purpusii;
The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936 as E xipheres;
Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956 as Epidendrum xipheres;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Epidendrum xipheres; Orchid Digest Vol 34 #6 1970 as Epidendrum xipheres photo/drawing fide;
The Genus Encyclia in Mexico Dressler & Pollard 1976 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 11 1980 as Epidendrum xipheres photo fide;
An Introdution to the Orchids of Mexico Wiard 1987 photo fide;
Selbyana Vol 10 Orchids of Central America Hamer 1988 drawing fide;
Manual Of Orchids Stewart 1995 as Epidendrum xipheres;
The Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol 4 Withner 1996 photo fide/drawing not = E nematocaulon;
The Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol 5 Withner 1998 photo fide;
Guatemala Y Sus Orquideas Behar & Tinschert 1998 photo fide;
Harvard Pap. Bot. 5 #2: Carnevali etal. 2001?;
Botanicas Orchids Laurel Glen 2002 photo fide;
Orchids of Mexico Hagsater, Soto, Salazar, Jimenez, Lopez & Dressler 2005 photo fide;
Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018
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