The genus Encyclia, named by Hooker (Sir William Jackson Hooker (July 6, 1785 - August 12, 1865; illustrator, systematist and botanical taxonomist from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Regius Professor - by royal decree - in Botany at the University of Glasgow and Director of the Gardens Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew) in 1828, belongs to the tribe Epidendreae, Subtribe Laeliinae, and includes epiphytic orchid species segregated from the genus Epidendrum - also described by Hooker, in 1828. The holotype (the type species after which the genus was described) is Encyclia viridiflora.

The name of the genus comes from the verb enkykleomai (ancient Greek), "to surround, to encircle", and which refers to the lateral lobes of the labellum, which surround the column. The abbreviation used in the commercial horticultural nomenclature is "E.". The accepted and valid synonyms for this genus are Doxosma Raf. and Sulpitia Raf.

From the moment of the segregation of a group of species from the genus Epidendrum for the construction of the genus Encyclia , based on anatomical-morphological characters, considered relevant by the authors of the time, its systematics underwent dramatic changes until almost recent times, when Higgins, in 1997, described the genus Prosthechea , moving numerous species of the genus within the new supraspecific taxon, in his efforts to finalize the classification of this vast and controversial botanical section. And, as the biological nomenclature, in general, and the botanical nomenclature, in particular, have already accustomed us, probably, as knowledge accumulates, the changes will not stop here.

Cladistic studies (approach to biological calcification in which organisms are categorized into groups, based on the most recent common ancestor) have demonstrated that the genus Encyclia , strictly speaking, is monophyletic, although it also included species of the current genus Epidendrum, until its segregation . Other genera separated based on morphological characteristics in Encyclia are Euchile, Prostechea and Dinema .

Encyclia can hybridize with related genera. The variability of the Encyclia genus is amazing, the sizes of the species vary from 4-6 cm to species with pseudobulbs larger than a tennis ball and with leaves over half a meter long. Despite this formidable variability, however, all the species of the genus possess a unique characteristic, namely, although the labellum is not fused with the column, still, more or less, it surrounds or encircles it to a greater or lesser extent.

The typical species of the genus, except for the type species, Encyclia viridiflora, are represented by Encyclia cordygera , often described horticulturally as Encyclia atropurpurea - a name, according to some authors, totally irrelevant to the species - but also by Encyclia cochleata (currently Prosthechea cochleata), Encyclia tampense, and Encyclia alata.

As I mentioned before, an epiphytic genus of orchids, the species of Encyclia populate regions of the tropical Americas, in Florida, the Caribbean archipelago, Mexico, in low forests, at altitudes of up to 1000 m, with a relatively uniform distribution within the mentioned areas. Most of the species are found in seasonally dry forests, usually oak, where humidity tends to remain high throughout the year, except for the periods when precipitation is completely absent, sometimes for several months, or has a sporadic, negligible nature.

Most of the species have stiff leaves , as an adaptation to occasional drought conditions, and large, onion-shaped pseudobulbs. The flowers emerge from the apical extremity, and the species of the genus are pollinated by birds and insects. Normally there are 8 pollinia, but in the case of some subgroups their number is reduced to 4. A single species, Encyclia cyperifolia , has smooth, cylindrical leaves.

The species of the genus Encyclia possess rhizomes with continuous growth that give birth to massive groups of plants, which in the natural environment separate without intervention from the mature pseudobulbs. In culture, natural separation fails, which is why it is necessary for horticulturists to intervene in this sense, performing manual separations. An exception is the species E. tampensis, which thrives in compact form, without requiring assisted division.

From the point of view of cultivation, species of the Encyclia genus prefer warm to moderately warm temperatures , with high light intensity and medium humidity . In culture, it is ideal to allow the roots to dry between waterings. Fertilizations will be balanced, without requiring a rest period. The species are easily cultivated on bark substrate , in medium-sized containers. Both plastic and ceramic containers are acceptable. If adequate moisture conditions can be provided (since they can be easily overwatered, since spraying with water is sufficient for the winter period), the taxa of the genus thrive in baskets.

Many species of the genus Encyclia are considered ideal for cultivation as ornamental plants, bearing flowers that can last over a month. Some species of the genus are scented, such as Encyclia fragrans, with a vanilla scent, or Encyclia radiata, with a scent somewhere between lilac, hyacinth and tuberose.

List of valid species for the genus Encyclia (Taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia):

There are approximately 170 species recorded for this genus.

• Encyclia acutifolia Schltr. (1923)

• Encyclia adenocarpa (Lex.) Schltr. (1914)

• Encyclia adenocaula (Lex.) Schltr. (1918): Rough-stemmed Encyclia

• Encyclia advena (Rchb.f.) Porto & Brade (1935): Advent Encyclia

• Encyclia aenicta Dressler & GEPollard (1971): Bronze Encyclia

• Encyclia alata (Bateman) Schltr., (1914)

• Encyclia alata subsp. attached: Winged Encyclia

• Encyclia alata subsp. parviflora (Regel) Dressler & GEPollard (1971)

• Encyclia alata subsp. virella Dressler & GE Pollard (1971)

• Encyclia albopurpurea (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade (1935)

• Encyclia alboxanthina Fowlie (1990)

• Encyclia altissima Schltr. (1914): Very Tall Encyclia

• Encyclia amazonica Brongn. ex Neumann (1846)

• Encyclia ambigua (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Ambiguous Encyclia

• Encyclia andrichii NLMenezes (1992)

• Encyclia angustifolia (Sw.) Schltr. (1918)

• Encyclia angustiloba Schltr. (1921)

• Encyclia argentinensis (Speg.) Hoehne (1952): Argentine Encyclia

• Encyclia aspera (Lindl.) Schltr. (1918): Rough-stalked Encyclia

• Encyclia asperula Dressler & GEPollard (1973 publ. 1974): Asperulous Encyclia

• Encyclia auyantepuiensis Carnevali & I.Ramírez (1994)

• Encyclia bipapularis (Rchb.f.) Acuña (1939)

• Encyclia bohnkiana VPCastro & Campacci (1999): Bohnk's Encyclia

• Encyclia bracteata Schltr. ex Hoehne (1930): Bracted Encyclia

• Encyclia bractescens (Lindl.) Hoehne (1952): Bractescent Encyclia

• Encyclia bradfordii (Griseb.) Carnevali & I.Ramírez (1986)

• Encyclia bragancae Ruschi (1976)

• Encyclia caicensis Sauleda & RMAdams (1978)

• Encyclia calderoniae Soto Arenas (2002 publ. 2003)

• Encyclia candollei (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Candole's Encyclia

• Encyclia caximboensis LCMenezes (1992): Caiximbo Encyclia

• Encyclia cajalbensis Múj.Benítez (2005)

• Encyclia ceratistes (Lindl.) Schltr. (1919): Horned-columned Encyclia

• Encyclia chapadensis NLMenezes (1993): Chapada dos Viadeiros Encyclia

• Encyclia chiapasensis Withner & DGHunt (1994): Chiapas Encyclia

• Encyclia chironii VPCastro & JBFSilva (2004)

• Encyclia chloroleuca (Hook.) Neumann (1846): Green-and-white Encyclia

• Encyclia conchichila (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade (1935)

• Encyclia contrerasii R. Gonzalez (1997)

• Encyclia cordigera (Kunth) Dressler (1964): Large-lipped Encyclia

• Encyclia cyanocolumna (Ames, FTHubb. & C.Schweinf.) Dressler (1961)

• Encyclia cyperifolia (C.Schweinf.) Carnevali & I.Ramírez (1993): Sword-leafed Encyclia

• Encyclia dasilvae VPCastro & Campacci (2000)

• Encyclia davidhuntii Withner & M. Fuente (2001): David Hunt's Encyclia

• Encyclia dichroma (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Two-colored Encyclia

• Encyclia diota (Lindl.) Schltr. (1918): Two-eared Encyclia

• Encyclia diota subsp. atrorubens (Rolfe) Dressler & GEPollard (1971)

• Encyclia diota subsp. diet

• Encyclia distantiflora (A.Rich. & Galeotti) Dressler & GEPollard (1971)

• Encyclia diurna (Jacq.) Schltr. (1919): Daytime Encyclia

• Encyclia duveenii Pabst (1976)

• Encyclia edithiana LCMenezes (1996): Edith's Encyclia

• Encyclia elegantula Dressler (2004): Elegant Encyclia

• Encyclia euosma (Rchb.f.) Porto & Brade (1935)

• Encyclia expansa (Rchb.f.) P. Ortiz (1991): Expanded Encyclia

• Encyclia fehlingii (Sauleda) Sauleda & RMAdams (1981)

• Encyclia flabellata (Lindl.) BFThurst. & WRThurst. (1977)

• Encyclia flava (Lindl.) Porto & Brade (1935): Yellow Encyclia

• Encyclia fowliei Duveen (1990): Fowlie's Encyclia

• Encyclia fucata (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Brown-veined Encyclia

• Encyclia gallopavina (Rchb.f.) Porto & Brade (1935): Peacock-like Encyclia

• Encyclia garzonensis Withner (2000)

• Encyclia ghillanyi Pabst (1976)

• Encyclia gonzalezii LCMenezes (1991): Gonzalez' Encyclia

• Encyclia gracilis (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Graceful Encyclia

• Encyclia granitica (Lindl.) Schltr. (1919): Granite-growing Encyclia

• Encyclia gravida (Lindl.) Schltr. (1918)

• Encyclia guadalupeae R. Gonzalez & Alvarado (1999): Guadalupe Encyclia

• Encyclia guatemalensis (Klotzsch) Dressler & GEPollard (1971): Guatemalan Encyclia

• Encyclia guianensis Carnevali & GARomero (1994)

• Encyclia hanburyi (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Hanbury's Encyclia

• Encyclia hermentiana Brongn. ex Neumann (1846)

• Encyclia howardii (Ames & Correll) Hoehne (1952): Howard's Encyclia

• Encyclia huebneri Schltr. (1925)

• Encyclia huertae Soto Arenas & R.Jiménez (2002 publ. 2003): Ground-dwelling Encyclia

• Encyclia inaguensis Nash ex Britton & Millsp. (1920): Inagua Encyclia

• Encyclia incumbens (Lindl.) Mabb. (1984): Aromatic Encyclia

• Encyclia ionosma (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Violet-scented Encyclia

• Encyclia isochila (Rchb.f.) Dod (1986): Equal-lipped Encyclia

• Encyclia ivoniae Carnevali & GARomero (1994)

• Encyclia kennedyi (Fowlie & Withner) Hágsater (1973): Kennedy's Encyclia

• Encyclia kermesina (Lindl.) P.Ortiz (1995)

• Encyclia kienastii (Rchb.f.) Dressler & GEPollard (1971)

• Encyclia kingsii (CDAdams) Nir (1994): King's Encyclia

• Encyclia kundergraberi VPCastro & Campacci (1998): Kundergraeber's Encyclia

• Encyclia leucantha Schltr. (1919)

• Encyclia lineariloba Withner, (2001)

• Encyclia lorata Dressler & GEPollard (1974): Strap-leafed Encyclia

• Encyclia luteorosea (A.Rich. & Galeotti) Dressler & GEPollard (1971): Yellow-pink Encyclia

• Encyclia maderoi Schltr. (1920)

• Encyclia magdalenae Withner (2000): Magdalene Encyclia

• Encyclia magnicallosa (C. Schweinf.) Pabst (1967 publ. 1972)

• Encyclia mapuerae (Huber) Brade & Pabst (1951)

• Encyclia maravalensis Withner (1995)

• Encyclia marxiana Campacci (2003)

• Encyclia meliosma (Rchb.f.) Schltr. (1918): Honey-sweet Encyclia

• Encyclia microbulbon (Hook.) Schltr. (1918): Small-bulbed Encyclia

• Encyclia microtos (Rchb.f.) Hoehne, (1952): Tiny-eared Encyclia

• Encyclia monteverdensis MADíaz & Ackerman (2004)

• Encyclia mooreana (Rolfe) Schltr. (1914): Moore's Encyclia

• Encyclia naranjapatensis Dodson (1977): Naranjapata Encyclia

• Encyclia nematocaulon (A.Rich.) Acuña (1939) : Thread-stemmed Encyclia

• Encyclia nizandensis Pérez-García & Hágsater (2002 publ. 2003)

• Encyclia obtusa (A.DC.) Schltr. (1918)

• Encyclia oestlundii (Ames, FTHubb. & C.Schweinf.) Hágsater & Stermitz (1983) : Oestlund's Encyclia

• Encyclia oncidioides (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Oncidium-like Encyclia

• Encyclia osmantha (Barb.Rodr.) Schltr. (1914): Capart's Scented Encyclia

• Encyclia oxypetala (Lindl.) Schltr. (1918)

• Encyclia oxyphylla Schltr. (1925)

• Encyclia pachyantha (Lindl.) Hoehne (1952)

• Encyclia paraensis VPCastro & A.Cardoso (2003)

• Encyclia parallela (Lindl.) P. Ortiz (1995)

• Encyclia parviloba (Fawc. & Rendle) Nir (1994)

• Encyclia patens Hook. (1830): Spreading-flowered Encyclia

• Encyclia pauciflora (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade (1935): Few-flowered Encyclia

• Encyclia peraltensis (Ames) Dressler (1997)

• Encyclia perplexa (Ames, FTHubb. & C.Schweinf.) Dressler & GEPollard (1971)

• Encyclia phoenicea (Lindl.) Neumann (1846): Phoenician Encyclia

• Encyclia picta (Lindl.) Hoehne (1952)

• Encyclia pilosa (C. Schweinf.) Carnevali & I. Ramírez (1993)

• Encyclia plicata (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Pleated Encyclia

• Encyclia pollardiana (Withner) Dressler & GEPollard (1971) : Pollard's Encyclia

• Encyclia profusa (Rolfe) Dressler & GEPollard (1971) : Profuse Encyclia

• Encyclia pyriformis (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Pear-shaped Encyclia

• Encyclia randii (Barb. Rodr.) Porto & Brade (1935)

• Encyclia recurvata Schltr. (1919)

• Encyclia replicateta (Lindl.) Schltr. (1920): Folded-lip Encyclia

• Encyclia rufa (Lindl.) Britton & Millsp. (1920): Bahama Encyclia

• Encyclia rzedowskiana Soto Arenas (2002 publ. 2003)

• Encyclia santos-dumontii LCMenezes (1992)

• Encyclia sclerocladia (Lindl. ex Rchb.f.) Hoehne (1952): Stiff-stalked Encyclia

• Encyclia seidelii Pabst (1976): Seidel's Encyclia

• Encyclia selligera (Bateman ex Lindl.) Schltr. (1914) : Saddle-lipped Encyclia

• Encyclia silvana Campacci (2003)

• Encyclia spatella (Rchb.f.) Schltr. (1924): Spatulate-petaled Encyclia

• Encyclia spiritusanctensis LCMenezes (1990): Espirito Santo Encyclia

• Encyclia steinbachii Schltr. (1922): Steinbach's Encyclia

• Encyclia stellata (Lindl.) Schltr. (1914): Starry Alanje Encyclia

• Encyclia suaveolens Dressler (1968 publ. 1971): Sweet-smelling Encyclia

• Encyclia subulatifolia (A.Rich. & Galeotti) Dressler (1961): Awl-shaped Encyclia

• Encyclia tampensis (Lindl.) Small (1913): Florida Butterfly Orchid

• Encyclia tenuissima (Ames, FTHubb. & C.Schweinf.) Dressler (1961)

• Encyclia thrombodes (Rchb.f.) Schltr. (1921)

• Encyclia tocantinensis VPCastro & Campacci (1996)

• Encyclia trachycarpa (Lindl.) Schltr (1918): Rough-fruited Encyclia

• Encyclia trautmannii Senghas (2001)

• Encyclia triangulifera (Rchb.f.) Acuña (1939): Triangular Encyclia

• Encyclia tripartita (Vell.) Hoehne (1952)

• Encyclia tuerckheimii Schltr. (1918): Tuerckheim's Encyclia

• Encyclia unaensis Fowlie (1991): Una Encyclia

• Encyclia uxpanapensis Salazar (1999)

• Encyclia viridiflora Hook. (1828)

• Encyclia withneri (Sauleda) Sauleda & RMAdams (1981): Withner's Encyclia

• Encyclia xerophytica Pabst (1976): Desert Encyclia

• Encyclia xipheroides (Kraenzl.) Porto & Brade (1935)

• Encyclia yauaperyensis (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade (1935): Yauapery Encyclia

Natural hybrids:

• Encyclia × alcardoi VPCastro & Chiron (2002) (Encyclia argentinensis × Encyclia flava)

• Encyclia × bajamarensis Sauleda & RMAdams (1981) (Encyclia gracilis × Encyclia rufa)

• Encyclia × guzinskii Sauleda & RMAdams (1990) (Encyclia altissima × Encyclia plicata)

• Encyclia × hillyerorum Sauleda & RMAdams (1990) (Encyclia fehlingii × Encyclia fucata)

• Encyclia × knowlesii Sauleda & RMAdams (1990) (Encyclia fehlingii × Encyclia plicata)

• Encyclia × lleidae Sauleda & RMAdams, (1984) (Encyclia gracilis × Encyclia plicata)

• Encyclia × lucayana Sauleda & RMAdams (1981) (Encyclia fahlingii × Encyclia gracilis)

• Encyclia × raganii Sauleda & RMAdams (1984) (Encyclia altissima × Encyclia gracilis

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