Hi, I am somewhat new to orchids and have a few which have been doing well for the last five years. They even bloom on regular basis and I what they are :)
But a friend is offering me a few shoots from an orchid and we don't know what it is. No photo yet.
I have been searching for over an hour now for a chart with diagrams of the basic leaf forms an orchid can take.
This orchid has thick "bulbs" at the base like Cymbidiums, but very short and wide leaves. I am told the flowers will be large with purple and brown colors. I realize it is not possible to id it from this little information.
Does anyone know of a basic botanical chart of common orchid forms? Thanks!
Basic Chart of Orchid Types
Thanks for posting a good question about basic leaf forms. There are any number of books out there on orchid culture that also have some common leaf forms but I can't see how that would help here because orchids of the same genus, and similar leaf forms, grow all over the world, in different altitudes, latitudes and conditions and require different culture. They don't have as narrow a range as the terrestrial plants we are more familiar with.
Sight unseen, Zygopetalums and their hybrids come to mind when thinking of brown and purple flowers. I was going to post links but there are a lot of Zygo photos and culture advice out there. Could you confirm if this is the orchid you are referring too?
The shoots of all orchids are called "leads". You will need an intact clump of three (not separate "shoots" or "bulbs"), with as many roots as possible to hopefully have a bloom size plant within a year or two.
It's great that you are doing well with orchids. Having regular blooms and plants that do well are a testimonial. Ask questions and join us on the monthly thread with comments or photos.
Thanks! I know, for example, that two of the orchids I have are dendrobiums. And two are types of phalaenopsis. Like cymbidiums, these types are prettty common and easy to guess at, you know?
All the charts I've seen, they all show the flowers and not the form of the plant the flower is attached to!!
Here is a photo of an orchid I was able to get to bloom for a lady I was taking care of. It's growth form is almost identical to the form of the one I will be getting shoots from.
And this is one of my orchids which blooms off and on practically year round. This photo was taken in December and it is about to bloom again.
The first one looks like a Miltassia, the second is a Phalaenopsis.
Jim
Thanks Jim, I have always wondered what that one might be! I knew the second, and cleared photo, is a Phalaenopsis. Nowadays they are packed into every market, even outdoor vegetables markets.
As for the possible Miltassia, how would you describe the plant structure? Are there many kinds of orchids with the same structure? Is there a name for a general type like this?
Miltassia is bigeneric genus as it is a cross between a Miltonia and a Brassia. These three are all in the Oncidium alliance so you would grow it much like an Oncidium. Miltassias grow rather easily for me as do Brassias. However, I have killed every Miltonia I have owned so go figure. I'll post pictures here of a Miltonia and a Brassia to show you the parents.
Jim
This message was edited Apr 8, 2012 7:05 AM
Now here are a couple of my Miltassias.
Jim
They are beautiful!
But what I am looking for is examples of the foliage. Photos of orchid flowers are abundant. Where can I find a basic chart of the various forms the plants can take?
Considering that many people only have the plant to look at for most of the year, it would be nice to get a ballpark idea of what division an orchid might be in based on the form it's body has. Has anyone seen such a chart?
I thought this was explained in my post above. What with such a large group of plants there are many species (often thousands) within a genus and not necessarily with a common morphology. Leaf structure may give clues about culture but does not define how to grow a specific orchid. Phalaenopsis, Vandas and Cymbidiums are monopodial but have vastly different culture requirements. Here is some information you may find helpful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchidaceae and http://sacramentoorchids.org/index.php/ growing_orchids/what_is_an_orchid__/ There are also the informative Stickies above.
Mitassias are a man made cross of Brassia and Miltonia and, like many of the intergeneric hybrids today, have qualities of both orchids that make them easier to grow and bloom more frequently. Their leaf and pseudobulb morphology varies depending on the genetics of the parent.
Its not a Miltassia...its a Beallara isnt it? Marfitch 'Howards Dream' maybe. Is is in the Oncidium alliance. I think its a cross of Brassia x Cochlioda x Miltonia x Odontoglossum. Theres so many crosses it gets confusing.
I think there harder to grow than miltassias, brassias, miltonias and oncidium but i don't have any so wouldnt really know. They had a wider fully flower than the Miltassias and great patterns/colours.
Yes, it looks more like a Beallara than a Miltasia to me too, Bree. I have a couple of each and find the culture the same. They like to be cooler, be watered more regularly (but not be soggy) and bloom in less light than most Oncidiums. Note that the orchid would be identified by its flower structure and not its leaf since several of the genera mentioned have thin, strappy leaves.
Edited to eliminate spelling more appropriate to a recipe like "flour" instead of flower. lol
This message was edited Apr 12, 2012 4:05 PM
Is that double life you lead between "orchid maeven" and "caterer" catching up with you? LOL!
You are spot on, Carol. I had just answered a comment on the recipe forum. :)
Thank-you MaypopLaurel, the same is true of many plants. Basic form doesn't necessarily lead to the correct means of caring for a plant because
"and similar leaf forms, grow all over the world, in different altitudes, latitudes and conditions"
I am not asking how to care for an orchid. I am not even asking to id an orchid.
All I would like to find is a basic general chart of the various forms the body of an orchid can have. After all, it is not that difficult to find a chart of general forms of terrestial leaf forms...
If this can't be found on line, can someone point me to a book I can go look at?
My basic go-to book is "Orchids to Know and Grow" by Thomas Sheehan and Robert Black. It's got a page or two on about 40 of the most common orchid species from which the thousands of crosses are derived. Good diagrams of the forms and basic descriptions plus a section of color plates of the flowers in the middle.
Bear in mind that there are something like 40,000 (or more?) different types of orchids growing around the world. I kind of doubt anybody would have made a chart or list like what you're describing, given that most people who have orchids are interested in growing them for the flowers, not so much the leaves or the form of the plant.
Just my amateur opinion, but when they're not in bloom, lots of orchids are not exactly pretty plants. Ugly ducklings, in fact. Turn to swans when they bloom of course.
oh you want basic care...
high humidity, bright light, alittle morning sun but not after 11am. Make sure the pot and mix has excellent drainage, i use a bark/perlite mix for all my orchids just smaller bark for my paphs/phals which like it a little moister as i don't get to water much.
When you repot (after flowering) trim any rotted roots off and put i a pot just one size larger than the roots, you might be able to use the same pot if you cut any roots off or even a smaller pot, orchids dont like to be over potted, the mix just stays wet longer and can cause root rot. I cut off any of the older bulbs when there past there days, lost there leaves and roots and have no hope of growing a new bulb from the growth eye.
Most common cause of orchid death is from rot, don't keep wet, i pretty much let my orchids dry out before i water next. Its deceiving you think there dry but they wont be in the middle. Ive learnt to use the pots weight to tell if they need watering, there really light when fully dry and get heavier when wetter. Try to water in the morning on a sunny day so they can dry abit before night.esp. in colder months. Orchids hate being wet and cold, they'll rot.
Use a 1/3 strength fertilizer every 2nd/3rd watering during the warmer months and none when cold. Flush with fresh water in between as fertilizer has salt which builds up in the pot.
Well thats my 2 cents worth. If you want anymore information just ask.
Thanks dyzzypyxxy, I will look that up! I don't expect to get an id for the mystery orchid from it. I have been growing orchids of various types for many years, so i am not looking for info on how to grow them. I was just curious about finding examples of the basic forms they can take. And felt there ought to be a chart giving examples. Ha, ha, I am one of those who actually enjoy the varous forms the plant itself can take. Sort of like various kinds of cactus or succulents which only bloom once a year and are suddenly stunning. My dendrobiums grow like crazy! I am always chopping up old canes to make new starts and giving them away. That is probably the wrong term for them. But they sometimes grow more than two feet a year!
Canes makes perfect sense to me. I'm a relative newcomer to the orchid growing game, started against my will by a gift from my daughter 3 years ago. Well, if ya gotta fuss with two orchids . . . now 40 and counting.
I think you'll find the diagrams in that book very useful. eg. it has diagrams showing 8 different vegetative forms for dendrobiums alone. (also describes its pseudobulbs as 'canelike bulbs' btw.)
Alot of Dendrobiums bloom of old canes, dont chop and throw any away thinking there old and finished with.
Thanks dyzzypyxxy, isn't that how it always goes? We get a gift from someone, then we decide to try another, next thing we know they are taking over!
Don't worry breeindy, I never throw them away, this rarely blooms again on old cane, but it is very good at growing new shoots along the cane. Another thing I've read about the old canes, is that as they dry up and shrivel, they give up their nutrients to the new canes that come out from the base of the plant. I've got eleven new shoots coming out of the base right now and most are already at least 8" long. And they always head for the window. They will smash themselves up against the window trying to get to the sunshine!
Haha! I always had a few Cymbidiums and a couple of Epidendrons here, because they are common garden plants in my area, but that was when I worked 10 hr days and never saw the sun at home. I didn't have time to deal with the fussier ones. 4 1/2 years into retirement and I'm up to 95, not counting duplicates.
catsmiling- i see theres a tag on your orchid in the photo whats it say? is it a beallara?