Encyclia polybulbon (Sw.) Dressler 1961 is an epiphytic or lithophytic growing miniature orchid species, native to Central America, Jamaica and Cuba.

Primarily the cute Encyclia polybulbon has been described by the German botanist Curt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel as Bulbophyllum occidentale Spreng. 1827, in 1788 the Swedish botanist Olof Peter Swartz renamed the orchid as Epidendrum polybulbon. Finally the small orchid got its current name by the American botanist and orchid specialist Robert Louis Dressler (born 1927) in 1961. The fragrant flowers get a size of about 3 cm. Flowering period: Autumn - Spring. Encyclia polybulbon orchids are protected by CITES Appendix II (trade controlled to avoid use incompatible with species survival). The orchid requires cool to warm temperatures and full sun.

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Image: Encyclia polybulbon (Sw.) Dressler 1961
Photographer: Kitisak “Nat” Jaidee