Encyclia cochleata (L.) Dressler

  • Authority

    Ackerman, James D. 1995. An orchid flora of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 73: 1-203.

  • Family

    Orchidaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Encyclia cochleata (L.) Dressler

  • Type

    Type. From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A. ( A M E S , not seen).

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants epiphytic, lithophytic or terrestrial, caespitose herbs. Roots white, fleshy, 1.5-2 mm diam., produced from a short, stout rhizome. Pseudobulbs laterally compressed, generally pyriform, sometimes stipitate, 8-11 cm long, 1-3.5 cm wide. Leaves 1-3, produced from apex of pseudobulb, narrowly oblong, acute to acuminate, 15-30 cm long, 1-3 cm wide. Inflorescences terminal, erect, simple racemes, few- to many-flowered; scape arising between folds of a conduplicate sheath 1.5-9 cm long; total length to 30 cm. Flowers chasmogamous, nonresupinate, produced sequentially. Pedicellate ovary erect, 2-3 cm. Sepals and petals similar, pale green, linear, reflexed, often twisted, 2.6-3.5 cm long, 4-6 mm wide. Lip cream to dark purple-maroon with green veins, erect, simple, adnate to the basal half of the column; free portion cochleate, ca. 1 cm long. Column erect, stout, 6-8 mm long; anthers 1-3 (if more than 1, then lateral anthers aberrant and often poorly developed), terminal, clinandrium bluntly trilobed; pollinia 4, hard, waxy. Fruit pendent, 3-winged, triangular in cross section, 2-3 cm long. Chromosomes: n = 20, 2n = 40.

  • Discussion

    2. Encyclia cochleata (Linnaeus) Dressier, Brittonia 13: 264. 1961. Epidendrum cochleatum Linnaeus, Sp. PL, ed. 2: 1351. 1763. Anacheilium cochleatum (Linnaeus) Hoffmannsegg, Verz. Orchid. 21. 1842. Epidendrum cochleatum Linnaeus var. pallidum Lindley, Fol. Orchid. Epidendrum 41. 1853 (based on Anacheilium cochleatum (Linnaeus) Hoffmannsegg, which is based on Epidendrum cochleatum Linnaeus). Type. Plumier s.n., from Haiti (original illustration at P, not seen; reproduction: Plumier, PL Amer. t. 185, f. 2. 1758.) Fig. 24. Epidendrum cochleatum Linnaeus var. triandrum Ames, Contr. A m e s Bot. Lab. 1: 16, pi. 8. 1904. Epidendrum triandrum (Ames) House, Muhlenbergia 1: 129. 1906.

    Phenology & Pollination. Blooming occurs throughout the year but mostly from June to March. Inflorescences may remain active for many months as flowers are produced sequentially with only a few of them open at any one time. Fruit production is very infrequent except for self-pollinating aberrant forms (see below) that have 2 or 3 anthers instead of the normal 1. This may be the most c o m m o n variant in the Luquillo Mountains. Taxonomic Notes. In recent publications (e.g., Sauleda & Adams, 1982), Lemee (1955) is credited with making the transfer to the genus Encyclia. His new combination, however, dated 1955, is invalid because it failed to specify place of publication of the basionym, a requirement since 1953. Ames described a triandrous variety from Florida (U.S.A.). Such forms occur in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico (Fig. 24D), where they are c o m m o n but not found in dense populations. Unlike the normal monandrous form, triandrous flowers are autogamous. As fruits mature, sequential flower development is arrested. Consequently, inflorescences are small and often bear 1-2 fruits. Triandrous Florida plants (type locality of the variety), however, are floriferous and bear several to many fruits. Either our plants are more resource-limited than those of Florida (although ours remain few-flowered in cultivation), or triandry arose several times from different stocks, or the different triandrous populations diverged from a triandrous common ancestor. Because of these ambiguities, I do not formally recognize var. triandra. Pabst et al. (1981) proposed to resurrect the genus Anacheilium to accommodate E. cochleata and related species. I agree that most members of the group are distinctive, but Dressier and Pollard (1974) mentioned that species with intermediate characteristics occur, and they effectively blurr distinctions among the proposed segregates. Clearly, further study is required to justify generic status.

    General Distribution. Central America, Colombia, Florida (USA.), French Guiana, Mexico, Venezuela, and West Indies.

    Distribution in Puerto Rico. Widespread except in southernmost areas; reported from Adjuntas, Aguadilla, Aibonito, Arecibo, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Canovanas, Cayey, Ciales, Coamo, Guayama, Luquillo, Maricao, Naguabo, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, Utuado, Vieques, Villalba,and Yauco.

    Distribution in the Virgin Islands. Known only from St. Croix.

    Habitat. Epiphytic, lithophytic or terrestrial in thick litter under shady or bright conditions in nearly dry to wet forests from low to high elevations (200-900 m ) ; common.