Encyclia selligera - Saddle-lipped Encyclia flowers are showy, long-lived, fragrant, 3.75 cm in diameter; sepals and petals with a green nail and...
Encyclia selligera, also called as Saddle-lipped Encyclia, Epidendrum selligerum, Epidendrum violodora, is a species in the genus Encyclia. This species was described by Rudolf Schlechter in 1914.
DESCRIPTION OF ENCYCLIA SELLIGERA - SADDLE-LIPPED ENCYCLIA
Encyclia selligera is native to Mexico (Chiapas) to Northern South America. It is found growing on the trunks or higher branches of trees in oak and pine-oak forests in humid climate in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico Southeast, Nicaragua, Suriname, Venezuela at elevations of 1400-2200 meters above sea level.
It is a medium sized, cool to cold growing epiphytic species which reaching up to 60 cn in height with clustered, conical-ovoid to pyriform pseudobulbs that are covered with rigid white sheaths. The leaves are 2, towards the apex, ligulate or elliptic-ligulate, obtuse, gradually tapering below into the conduplicate clasping base, 25 cm long.
Saddle-lipped Encyclia blooms in the winter and spring from the terminal, apical, large, to 90 cm long, branched, verrucose, loosely 10-15 flowered inflorescence that arise on a newly matured psudobulb. The flowers are showy, long-lived, fragrant, 3.75 cm in diameter; sepals and petals brown to yellowish-green with red-violet nerves. Sepals are acute; dorsal sepal with an acute nail; lateral sepals with a wide nail. Petals are spatulate with an acute and linear nail. Lip is pale violet, with red-violet nerves, three lobes: lateral lobes are ligulate and straight in natural position. Column without arms or wings with three teeth on the apex, dorsally carinate.
ENCYCLIA SELLIGERA - SADDLE-LIPPED ENCYCLIA CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Encyclia selligera needs a light level of 20000-30000 lux. The light should be filtered or diffused and the plants should not be exposed to direct midday sun. Strong air movement should be provided all the time.
Temperature:
In summer, the average day temperature is 21-24 °C, and the night 13-15 °C, with a daily amplitude of 8-10 °C. In winter the average daytime temperatures are 20-23 °C, and 12-14 °C during the night, while the daily amplitude is 8-11 °C.
Humidity:
Saddle-lipped Encyclia needs the humidity of 80% in the period of growth, in winter and spring it falls to 60-70%. Too dry air has a negative effect on the development of the plant: its growth is inhibited, and the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out. The higher temperature, the higher the humidity should be, and the higher the humidity, the more often and longer it is necessary to ventilate the room where the plants are contained, otherwise the probability of rotting and various kinds of fungal diseases. Good air movement is essential while the plants are in leaf and growing.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Encyclia selligera are most often grown in pots or baskets with a very thick, loose and well-drained substrate. There should be plenty of space in the pots to allow the roots to dry quickly after watering. It is recommended to use smaller pots sufficient for only one or two years of growth, because the substrate in larger pots remains wet after watering for too long. Roots that do not dry out quickly enough after watering rot. Most growers recommend medium grain bark, though others prefer medium cork pieces mixed with large lumps of charcoal.
The plants also grow well mounted on tree-fern or cork rootstocks, provided that high humidity is ensured. Fixed plants require high humidity and at least daily watering in summer, and in the case of dry and hot weather, it may be necessary to water several times a day.
Transplanting or splitting is best done when new roots begin to emerge, or immediately after blooming. This allows the plants to acclimate in a relatively short time and provides them with the least stress.
Watering:
The plants should be watered abundantly during active growth, but their roots must dry out quickly after watering. At the end of autumn, the amount of water should be gradually reduced.
Fertilizer:
Saddle-lipped Encyclia should be fertilized every week 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. A fertilizer with a high nitrogen content is beneficial from spring to mid-summer, and a phosphorus-rich fertilizer can be used in late summer and autumn. Higher phosphorus content stimulates better flowering in the next season and promotes hardening of new growth before winter.
To avoid the accumulation of mineral deposits during periods of strong fertilization, it is recommended to rinse the containers approximately every month.
Rest period:
Encyclia selligera grown in cool conditions should be kept relatively dry in winter, with occasional fogging between rare waterings. However, those grown in warmer conditions need more water and significant drying up between waterings. However, it must not be allowed keep them dry for a long time. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated until new growths appear and watering begins more abundantly in the spring.
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