Encyclia cochleata has upside down flowers with smooth, ovoid to oblong-elliptic, compressed pseudobulbs partially enveloped basally by several, imbricate, scarious sheaths with 2 to 3, apical, elliptic, acute, gradually narrowing below, basally clasping leaves and can bloom for 6 months starting in the spring with an apical, erect, short to 37.5 cm, few to many flowered, racemose inflorescence with a basal sheath that has successive opening, non-fragrant flowers. They originate from Florida, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Leewards, Puerto Rica, Windwards, French Guiana, Surinam, Guyana, Venezuela and Colombia as a medium sized epiphyte found in dense tropical evergreen, deciduous and oak forests at altitudes up to 1900 meters that grow warm to cool and require even water and fertilizer throughout the year.
