This orchid plant is a cross between Epicyclia Mabel Kanda and Encyclia cordigera. Encyclia cordigera is a popular Encyclia species that is native to Southern Mexico all the way to Central America.
Epicyclia Mabel Kanda is a cross between Encyclia cordigera and Epidendrum densiflorum. Epidendrum densiflorum is native to Ecuador.
Based on this information, I concluded that Epicyclia Serena O'Neil is about 3/4 Encyclia cordigera that is endemic to parts of South America with warm temperatures.
This is late in bloom for Encyclias but then again its a strange hybrid and cant help it if it flowers in winter (although it doesn't feel like winter on my south facing window).
I inherited this in a plastic basket filled with tree fern fiber and upon inspection of the roots it was healthy so I didn’t bother to repot it in another kind of mix.
This orchid plant likes to dry out well between watering and I give it a light winter rest in order to blossom well. Yet, I have noticed with this particular hybrid: it likes to be watered even in winter since if I let the pseudo bulbs shrivel too much, only a few new growths will come forth in the spring, and the blossoms are very poor. My observation is to cut back on water but not completely=if I water it every other day in the summer…..in winter I water it once a week. I have also found that during its flowering and growth stage that this hybrid likes quite a bit of water, more than many other Encyclia hybrids. I feed it weekly weakly K-lite fertilizer with seaweed mix and in winter I don’t feed it fertilizer until I notice new growths.
Epicyclia Serena O'Neill (in bloom)
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