encyclia-phoenicea

The decorative appearance of the flowers of this beautiful orchid is complimented by their intoxication chocolate fragrance'ergo,in some countries it bears the nick name of ''the chocolate doll'' . The species is also attractive for its relatively collection-friendly dimentions and its resistance to drougt and cultivation blunders. E. phoenicea has concially narrowed pseudobulbs (in contrast to a similar orchid,E. atropurpurea),each bearing a couple of narrow ,tough leaves. The sparse inflorescence on a stiff ,wiry spike consists of 5-20 large flowers whose colors vary a great deal . Their lips are white with red venation ,the color of the tepals oscillates between green and deep purple . The flowers last for up to six weeks . E. phoenicea is an epiphyte with above average light demands. This orchid has one disadvantage regarding its cultivation :its clusters are slow to proliferate and impossible to propagate -which is why they are relatively rare in collections today . It blooms in late summer and in the fall and comes from Mexico , Cuba and other islands in the Caribbean .