Please help ID this orchid...

[drcarr]

First of all I wanted to say that I love your site!

A friend of mine gave me a section of orchid taken from a plant in the Philipines off of a plant in her back yard. She says that the orchid is “climbing” up a tree. The section that she cut and gave to me was not “in” the ground or any substrate but rather a few feet off the ground climbing this tree.

First of all, what kind of orchid is this? And secondly, how do I plant it? What do I plant it in? Should I put it in orchid bark and try to bury some of the roots (most of the roots are growing directly sideways off of the plant) and just bury the lower part of the stem?

I have attached a picture of the plant for help with identification…

Thank you so much for your help in advance!

~dr. carr

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

That is a Vanda, now called a Papilionanthe, and it may be teres, or a closely related species, or very likely Vanda Miss Joaquim, now the national flower of Singapore I think. Have to wait for it to bloom for a final ID.

Pot it in medium bark up to the base of that lowest short leaf. Get the roots really wet and see if you can bend them a little. If need be, you can just bend them slightly up so that the plant can be put to the shallow dept required for that lowest leaf, with the roots sticking up out of the pot. Also, maybe you can get the highest roots to form an arc enough to get their tips into the pot. I often like to do a little bending with my Vanda's roots to get the high roots curved downward and into the pot. Since most of the roots will be out of the pot, you are going to have to heavily mist the roots of this guy every day for some time until enough roots grow to get a good drink from that pot and relieve you of the daily misting.

[drcarr]

thanks for the help, cynthia.
i was reading some of your other posts on vandas and it seems that they require not only high light but high humidity and water. that being the case, would it be better for me to plant this plant in moss as opposed to bark? that way retaining more water for the plant to drink?
thanks...

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I haven't used moss with them, so can't say for sure, but they are often not terribly happy with pots in general, so I think the medium bark might be better for pot picky plants where thay get more air at the roots. I would keep the pot small, or go to larger bark if you feel you must have a large pot. Think I would use a 4 to 5" pot with medium bark.

[drcarr]

i potted it today in a 4 inch plastic pot with medium bark. i have it loosely covered in a plastic bag to increase humidity. i'm keeping my fingures crossed that it takes well.
thanks so much for the help...

[mdomingz]

I have a Miss Joaquim which i got in similar conditions but with flowers about a year ago. I have it potted in ground coconut fiber exclusively, which looks like sphag moss, which is highly water retaining. When watering i just let it soak and let it all drain out. The coconut fiber will retain all the humidity this plant needs. When the plant is healthy and settled it can take all the sun it can take. Right now in your condition is not a good idea, but some morning sun is definetely a plus. I live in a tropical area (of which this plant originates from) and the weather this time of the year is starting to be on the harsh sun/dry air period which will go till march, so i spray mist the aerial roots every morning.
This plant will develop roots, both aerial (quite a few) and in the pot, so dont worry. Cynthia's advice on bending the bottom roots you have now towards the pot is wise (i wish i had that tip when i first got mine). But anyway, the aerial roots will keep the plant alive until it develop bottom roots on it's own.
It is a very strong plant, keep faith in it, you'll be rewarded.

Manuel
panama