A group from which many hybrid genera have been produced is the sub-tribe Laeliniiae. This includes the natural genera of Cattleya, Laelia and Brassavola among others. All these interbreed with such ease, and so many hybrids have been raised, that there are more intergeneric than specific hybrids.

Encyclia cochleata was the first tropical orchid to flower in Great Britain. It did so in 1786 at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The plant belongs to a small select group of oncidiums, sometimes placed into a separate genus, Cyrtochilum, all of which have club- shaped sepals with a characteristic small lip. They all produce trailing flower spikes up to 12 ft (4 m) long on a mature plant. The 3 in (8 cm) flowers are born on short side branches with two to four on a branch.

Their pseudobulbs are tall and club-shaped; their flowers appear, usually from inside a sheath from the apex of the pseudobulb which may carry one or two thick fleshy leaves. Their root system is extensive and can become aerial when the plant grows over the edge of its pot. The flowers can be 6 in (1 5 cm) across, very softly textured, and last for up to three weeks in perfection. These are the largest of the more commonly grown orchids in cultivation.

Orchids become rare for various reasons; the overcollecting of natural colonies and destruction of the habitat are the most common reasons, to which can be added the difficulty to grow or flower in cultivation.

There exist among the species many which are totally miniature. The plants often less than 2.5 cm high have minute flowers, some not much bigger than a pin’s head; others, with foliage several inches high, carry flowers half the size of a thumbnail. In this miniature world can be found the same diversity as amongst the larger orchids. Their beauty is appreciated best by the use of a magnifying glass.