2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Encyclia (lat. Encyclia) - a genus of herbaceous perennial plants with beautiful flowering, belonging to the Orchid family (Latin Orchidaceae). Plants of the genus easily adapt to indoor life, and therefore are popular in indoor floriculture.
What's in your name
The Latin name of the genus is based on the Greek word meaning "circular". The genus owes this name to the special structure of the lip of the flower of plants of this genus, which, although it does not merge with the column, more or less covers it with its lateral lobes.
The abundance of plants of the Orchid family, upon closer study and application of modern research methods, sometimes leads to a rearrangement of plants on the classification "shelves". So plants of the described genus were previously attributed by botanists to the genus Epidendrum (lat. Epidendrum), in which today there are 1435 plant species. A number of species were isolated from it, and an independent genus Encyclia was formed.
The genus Encyclia is also very numerous and, in turn, was a source from which more than once, with a more detailed morphological analysis, botanists distinguished new genera of plants.
The genus Encyclia was first described by the English botanist, Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785-07-06-1865-08-12).
Description
The more numerous the genus of plants, the more diverse are its representatives. So, in the genus Encyclia there are also epiphytes living in humid tropical forests; and lithophytes, spreading their roots and pseudobulbs on rocky mountain slopes at altitudes up to 2700 meters above sea level; as well as terrestrial plants of dry deciduous forests.
Plants of the genus Encyclia belong to the sympodial type of growth, and therefore are plants from small (5 centimeters) to medium in height.
Well-developed roots are covered with a multi-layered spongy tissue called velamen. It is able to absorb moisture, nutrients flowing down tree trunks during rain, and also serves as a protective barrier against mechanical stress and damage.
At the top of the pear-shaped pseudobulbs are leathery or fleshy leaves, the shape of which varies from oval to lanceolate-oblong.
The peduncle bears a racemose or paniculate inflorescence of numerous, often fragrant, flowers. Sepals are almost indistinguishable from petals, spreading freely in different directions. The color of the petals is very varied and amazing. A feature of the plants of the genus Encyclia is the shape of the flower lip, which sometimes partially fuses with the column, but more often simply covers its fleshy body with lateral lobes, for which the genus received its Latin name.
Varieties
The most common species of the Encyclia genus in culture are:
* Encyclia viridiflora is a type species of the genus.
* Encyclia cochleata - transferred to the genus "Prosthechea", isolated from the described genus, and therefore the current name of the plant is "Prosthechea cochleata". Plants of the genus "Prosthechea" are distinguished by the presence of an appendage on the back of the column.
* Encyclia cordigera - as a rule, the lip is painted white with red longitudinal stripes in the middle part, but in the culture of the bowl there is a variant with a monochromatic lip of a lilac-fuchsia bright color.
* Encyclia tampense - has aromatic, relatively large flowers (up to 4 centimeters in diameter), colored yellow, green or brownish, and decorated with purple veins. In this case, the lip is white, sometimes broken by a purple spot in the middle.
* Encyclia alata is one of the most fragrant species of the genus with larger flowers. Sepals and petals are dark burgundy with a pale jade-green center of the flower. The same color goes in a thin outline along the edges of the petals and sepals. The lip is white and creamy yellow with a bright yellow edge and small purple stripes in the center.
