Encyclia tampensis

Encyclia tampensis is a species native to the southern half of peninsular Florida and parts of the Bahamas. Originally discovered near Tampa Bay, this orchid's specific name means "from Tampa". It obviously possesses some cold-hardiness, tolerating temperatures below freezing for a few hours (however, cold spells in Florida in recent years have reduced the range of this species from what had once been observed).

Just-mature plants are not terribly big, but as Stewart's "monster" can attest to, they can become impressive specimens over time. These epiphytes inhabit several host species, including live oaks and bald cypress, where their small onion-shaped bulbs give rise to one (sometimes two) long, grasslike leaf/leaves. Blooming usually happens in May through July, with panicles of fragrant flowers. Known as the "Florida Butterfly Orchid", this is a favorite in cultivation and, more recently, in hybridization.

The typical flower color form consists of green sepals and petals tinged with red with a white three-lobed lip bearing a prominent magenta blotch. The flowers are usually between 1 and 1.5 inches in diameter:





Of course, perhaps the most famous of the "tampies" is the AM awarded 'Mendenhall' which is an albo-labia variety:



It is unfortunate that this latter form is probably the most widely offered variety of Enc. tampensis, as opposed to the colorful variety, which I personally find much more attractive.

Variation in flower form, color, and fragrance quality can be seen throughout their range, representing possible introduction of genes from other species of Encyclia (such as Enc. phoenicea and Enc. plicata) common to the Bahamas. These less cold-hardy species likely colonized a niche in Florida for awhile, surviving long enough to contribute some genes to the indigenous gene pool before the next big frost killed them off. Or, conversely, parent plants from the Bahamas carried a variety of these genes which then became expressed in various degrees throughout the eons.

Special thanks to Mike Clark (Clark or ClarkM on various orchid forums) for the loan of his plant to photograph (none of mine spiked this year) and the division of his blooming 'Mendenhall'.

---Prem

Prem, your photos are lovely as always, and really makes tampensis look big and beautiful....I must have had the "latter' form cause it was very plain ...so plain that it found a new home