Monday, July 9, 2007

Encyclias



Click on the image for enlarged view ...

Encyclias ...

Previously, Encyclias were called Epidendrum ... But so were Cattleyas and Laelias and a host of other orchids that grew in the trees as epiphytes ... But the primary difference between the two genera ... Encyclias and Epidendrum ... has to do with the flower. The Epidendrum have their lip fused to the whole column. Encyclias are attached at the base of the lip and column but the lip floats free from the column itself. This is the first defining point for Encyclia. Some of the Encyclias have a short attachment to the column, which creates subspecies within the Encyclia family ...

Shot taken on the May 23, 2007.

No comments: