Encyclia tampensis

 Butterfly Orchid

This is Florida's most common wild orchid. While it is protected by law (collection from the wild is prohibited) sometimes private growers propagate and share it.

Plant Facts:

Common Name:   Butterfly Orchid

Botanical Name:   Encyclia tampensis

Plant Type:  Orchid

Zones: 9-11

Height:  1.5'

Soil Requirements:  An epiphyte found growing in the wild on mangroves, pond apples, oaks, and pines.

Water Requirements: 

Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade.

Leaves:  One to three long slim leaves, from a few inches to a foot or more in length, grow from a gray-green pseudobulb. Leaves tend to be longer on plants growing in shade.

Flowers: Several 1.5" flowers appear alternately on a tall, thin stalk, flowering from spring to fall. Blooms usually are yellow-green or brownish with a whitish lip; petals and lips are touched with a rose-purple spot or stripe. Many variations in color (including white) have been found.

Fruit: 

Uses:  Protected species -- do not collect from the wild.

Propagation:  Seeds, division.

Source: Native Florida Plants, Revised Edition