:''Encyclia'' is also a Greek term for the

Codex Encyclius Collections of ancient canons contain collected bodies of canon law (Catholic Church), canon law that originated in various documents, such as papal and synodal decisions, and that can be designated by the generic term of canons. Canon law was n ...

''Encyclia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s. The genus name comes from Greek ''enkykleomai'' ("to encircle"), referring to the lateral lobes of the lip which encircle the column. It is abbreviated as ''E.'' in the horticultural trade.Alphabetical List of Standard Abbreviations for Natural and Hybrid Generic Names, Royal Horticultural Society, 2017. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/plant-registration-forms/orchid-name-abbreviations-list.pdf

Biology

The epiphytic genus ''Encyclia'' occurs in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, and other regions of the tropical Americas. It grows in lowland forests at altitudes up to 1000 meters. The distribution of the species is more or less evenly spread throughout this area. Most of these species are found in seasonally dry forests where the humidity tends to remain high throughout the year, though precipitation is infrequent, sometimes lacking for months. They are most common in dry oak forests. Most species have stiff, drought-resistant leaves and large onion-shaped pseudobulbs.Dressler, R. L. ''The Orchids, Natural History and Classification''. The flowers arise from an apical inflorescence. This genus is pollinated by bees and birds. There are normally eight pollinia, but in some subgroups this is reduced to four. One species, '' Encyclia cyperifolia'', produces cylindrical, terete leaves.''Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids''.

Cultivation

Many species in this genus are cultivated as ornamental plants. The flowers may last over a month. They are easily overwatered and require only a periodic misting during the winter. Some species are fragrant; ''

Encyclia fragrans :''Encyclia'' is also a Greek term for the Codex Encyclius ''Encyclia'' is a genus of orchids. The genus name comes from Greek ''enkykleomai'' ("to encircle"), referring to the lateral lobes of the lip which encircle the column. It is abbreviate ...

'' produces vanilla-scented flowers. The plants have continuously growing rhizomes that eventually create a large mass. In the wild the plants shed the older pseudobulbs. In cultivation they may fail to split, so growers will divide them by hand to prevent the plants from forming unwieldy mounds. An exception is '' Encyclia tampensis'', which does well in a mounded form and does not need to be divided.

Taxonomy

Cladistic research has shown that ''Encyclia'' ''sensu stricto'' is

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

. This genus was originally included in '' Epidendrum'' until William Jackson Hooker separated it in 1828. The genera '' Euchile'', '' Prosthechea'' and '' Dinema'' were separated from ''Encyclia'' based on morphological analysis.Higgins, W. E. (1997). A combined molecular phylogeny of ''Encyclia'' (Orchidaceae) and relationships within Laeliinae. ''Selbyana'' 24(2) 165–79. ''Sulpitia'' Raf. is a synonym of ''Encyclia''. ''Encyclia'' can hybridize with related genera. ''E. tampensis'' is often bred for its attractive hybrids.

Species

See List of ''Encyclia'' species. Unplaced species include ''Encyclia amicta'', syn. '' Epidendrum amictum''.

References

External links