Encyclia cordigera

[tucker85]

Encyclia cordigera likes to grow dry and bright. This pink version has a very nice fragrance in the morning. I once had the purple version of this same species and it had an even better fragrance.

[tradceci]

Almost bought one yesterday. It was competing with a dendrobium aggregatum, and the dendrobium was in better shape, so I got it. This is the next one on the list. It is beautiful!

[Halloamey]

Wow Jeff ! This one is definitely on my wishlist now. Very well grown !!

[orchidsal]

Great blooms Jeff. I was wondering when you say grown "dry" are you talking a dry season like winter or something else? I see nice fat, smooth pseud-bulbs in your photograph so I was thinking it must be well watered with no prolonged dryness. AL

[tucker85]

Great blooms Jeff. I was wondering when you say grown "dry" are you talking a dry season like winter or something else? I see nice fat, smooth pseud-bulbs in your photograph so I was thinking it must be well watered with no prolonged dryness. AL

When I say grown dry, I mean it's in an open basket with some tree fern fiber so when I water it, it dries out within a couple hours. I water it twice a week during the summer and once a week during the winter. I drench it really well but it dries very quickly.

[gardenguysorchids]

Thanks for osting this beauty. I just bought one yesterday at our orchid society auction. Am grateful for the growing tips. I love the scent. The one I bought is just opening.

[mauraec]

Love it, Jeff, and thanks for the growing tips - I bought an Encyclia bractescens (pentotis) just for the fragrance at our orchid show a month ago - it has very tall pseudobulbs - looks almost like a dendrobium. It has small bloom sheaths that look pretty hopeless - do you know if Encyclias will bloom in a poor-looking sheath eventually? I have heard that cattleyas will do that...

[tucker85]

Love it, Jeff, and thanks for the growing tips - I bought an Encyclia bractescens (pentotis) just for the fragrance at our orchid show a month ago - it has very tall pseudobulbs - looks almost like a dendrobium. It has small bloom sheaths that look pretty hopeless - do you know if Encyclias will bloom in a poor-looking sheath eventually? I have heard that cattleyas will do that...

I don't think I can answer that, Maura. I only have two encyclias. The sheaths on mine were small and didn't look all that impressive. Hopefully your's will bloom well. They're usually spring or summer bloomers.

[PaphMadMan]

Love it, Jeff, and thanks for the growing tips - I bought an Encyclia bractescens (pentotis) just for the fragrance at our orchid show a month ago - it has very tall pseudobulbs - looks almost like a dendrobium. It has small bloom sheaths that look pretty hopeless - do you know if Encyclias will bloom in a poor-looking sheath eventually? I have heard that cattleyas will do that...

Hmmm... Encyclia bractescens and Encyclia pentotis (Prosthechea baculus) are not synonyms, not even similar. E. bractescens has rather egg shaped pseudobulbs similar to E. cordigera, so I presume from your description you have E. pentotis/Psh. baculus - somewhat similar to E. radiata/Psh. radiatum. In neither case would it have robust fleshy sheaths like some Cattleya/Laelia types, so I think your 'hopeless/poor-looking sheath' is probably just fine.

[mauraec]

Hmmm... Encyclia bractescens and Encyclia pentotis (Prosthechea baculus) are not synonyms, not even similar. E. bractescens has rather egg shaped pseudobulbs similar to E. cordigera, so I presume from your description you have E. pentotis/Psh. baculus - somewhat similar to E. radiata/Psh. radiatum. In neither case would it have robust fleshy sheaths like some Cattleya/Laelia types, so I think your 'hopeless/poor-looking sheath' is probably just fine.

You are, of course, right that it's not an E. bractescens., which I also have and was reading about at the same time I wrote this post. It IS an E. pentotis, but I think perhaps it's been consigned to the genus Prosthechea more recently. In any event, I am very glad to hear the sheaths may indeed prosper. Thank you and I apologize for the mixup.