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Terminology, definitions, and conditions

jimscott

Tropical Fish Enthusiast
I understand terrestrial and have a pretty good idea what todo with them. But what is the difference between that and epiphytic and how are they different in cultivation? Also, what does orchidoides mean? I read the terms on the forums and in the Pietropaolo book, but there is no denotation.
 
Orchidioides is a section of Utricularia. It contains Us. alpina, asplundii, endresii, praetermissa, quelchii, campbelliana, buntingiana, jamesoniana and unifolia. This group along with Iperua (reniformis, nephrophylla, geminiloba, nelumbifolia and humboldtii) and sometimes longifolia are commonly refered to as the "epiphytic" Utrics. This name is rather a misnomer as most all of them grow terrestrially to some extent. Some, like longifolia and reniformis, are almost exclusively terrestrial in habitiat. The epiphyte tag seems to have taken hold back in the Victorian days when some clones of alpina and endresii were cultivated alongside orchids in an epiphytic manner.

In cultivation the Iperua and Orchidioides groups prefer a more well drained, less wet media. I find that most all of them do well in live sphag, the exceptions being the smaller species which do fine in pine bark mulch or peat/sand if moisture level is monitored closely enough. I also find that these groups seem to prefer lower temps by and large though reniformis seems adaptible and some others with forms from lower elevetions can take higher temps.
 
Taxonomy can be a black hole. To venture there, you should get a copy of Taylor's Utricularia monograph. Taylor divided the genus into 35 sections, largely based on vegetative morphology, in particular that of the traps. Here is what he says about section Orchidioides:
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]This section, with nine species in Central America, the Antilles and South America, contains some of the largest flowered and spectacular species in the genus. They quite closely resemble, in general appearance, the orchids with which they often grow ...
 
Taylors' book and a decent digital camera are at the top of my Christmas list! Now i understand that U. longifolia likes to be kept wet. So that's how I have been treating it, along with the sandersonii blue. Should I get the longifolia, nephrophylla, and nelumbifolia out of the attic and keep it alongside the alpina. Would they be better off in moist, but not wet conditions?
 
U. longifolia is neither Iperua nor Orchidioides, it gets incorrectly lumped in with them (as epiphytes) because it has big flowers like Iperua and Orchidioides do.

Keep your plant where it is if it is happy. Ditto your nephro and nelumbi. If you have plants happy somewhere then don't move them
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Just because I find they like it cooler for me does not necessarily mean they will for you. Now if your nephro and nelumbi seem to be struggling then consider moving them to cooler temps but don't bother unless they have problems
 
Nephro and nelumbi are too new to know if they are struggling or adapting. They're still green, as opposed to just disappearing, so I think they'll be fine. You know me.... I'm always moving plants around.
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nephrophylla is a hardy lil bugger. not terribly picky. my nelumbifolia grows good for awhile than dies back, and than grows good for awhile and dies back. its living for me but not really thriving.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (rattler_mt @ July 21 2006,5:15)]nephrophylla is a hardy lil bugger. not terribly picky. my nelumbifolia grows good for awhile than dies back, and than grows good for awhile and dies back. its living for me but not really thriving.
Yes, nephro seem to grow just about anywhere, it just popped up in my A. morletti cage.

And as for nelumbi, your beats mine which makes 5-6 aerial stolons for every 1 leaf. In another couple months this plant and it's offspring are probably going to up and eat me.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Pyro @ July 24 2006,11:20)]And as for nelumbi, your beats mine which makes 5-6 aerial stolons for every 1 leaf. In another couple months this plant and it's offspring are probably going to up and eat me.
When it starts talking in Ebonics and implores you to feed it dentists, saying, "Feed me, Travis!" - I'd be a little nervous.
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