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What is this orchid?

  • Thread starter Tim
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    orchid
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Someone gave me a cutting of this epiphytic orchid, and I don't know what kind it is.

Regards
Tim
 
If I had one guess I would say it was a cane type dendrobium, but I really don't know. Nice Tillandsia though.
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Most likely a Cattleya hybrid but it could also be a Laelia species or hybrid.
Id suggest you do something to help it out with water retention it looks like it has nothing in the way of a root system.
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I assume it doesn't need a root system, as the plant I took it from had no roots.
 
Im sorry but your assumption is incorrect. I would bunch some sphagnum under the rhizome making sure not to cover the rhizome entirely. It appears to be outside so i would recommend watering it at least once a day right now. Once it has established itself further and developed a root system it shouldnt require the frequent watering.
Orchids are not like Tillandsia in that they do absorb nutrients and water through thier roots. Did you collect this plant from the wild?
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No. I got it from one of my landscape customers. It is about one fourth of the parent plant, which for many months has laid outside where he has his bromeliads.

There are several species of epiphytic orchids which get their water from the air and rain. This has been in my greenhouse for a few weeks, and it gets misted once or twice a week with my Tillandsias, and is doing fine.
 
Khai is correct. Orchids absorb their water primarily through their root systems. Epiphytic orchid does not mean rootless. Looking at the photo it appears from what I can see that the pseudobulbs are beginning to get shrivelled. Leaves and pseudobulbs should be firm. If they are not then the plant is dessicating. Cattleyas are very durable plants and it might take months before dessication becomes very noticable.
Tony
 
That would explain why it lived so long. Thanks to both Khai and tony, I've put it in soil already

Best regards
Tim
 
  • #10
To be honest with you it already looks dessicated to me, but you may be able to salvage it due to the size of the division.
I hope you meant you put it into Orchid bark or some other appropriate epiphetic media, I like a mixture of Rexus brand Fir bark with 25-40% spongerock and 10% Charcoal.
Good luck!

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  • #11
Yes, and I dunked in in water for an hour. My customers are getting on up in years, and this must be the explaination!

I've been searching for epiphytic orchids, and I visited a place that has them tied to cork bark, but they seem quite expensive.
 
  • #12
I think that youll find the majority of orchids available are epiphytes and you can grow them all attached to nearly whatever you want. Common mounting materials include Cork, treefern and even coconut husks and composites of coir.
There are two things you need to keep in mind when planning on mounting a plant one its habit, that is the manner in which in grows, is it sympodial (rhizomatous) or monopodial (rosette, modified) some plants lend themselves better to mounting than others.  The other is the plants needs for moisture Paphiopedulum and Phalaenopsis (in general) prefere a more consistantly moist media than Cattleya or Laelia, Bulbophyllum and Cirrhopetalum require more water than all of the above. So the best peice of advice i can give you is to start reading anything and everything you can find about orchids and the genera that interest you most.
Hope this helps.
 
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  • #13
It does, and thanks!
 
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