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06-06-2008, 08:17 AM
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| Strange Orchid ID Hello guys! I am a newbie around here, but not a newbie to orchids. I need to employee your brains to help me try and solve the mystery as to what plant I have managed to acquire recently. The local orchid shop closed at the beginning of the month, and the lady there cleaned out her green house and a lot of interesting things ended up in my collection, most of which I can identify. However, there's one little tiny guy that I need an ID on that I can't seem to figure out. I've posted to other forums, but they are stumped, too. This critter grows much like a dendrobium with something similar to canes and leaves coming out of the sides of them. The plant is really small, and is living in a 3 inch clay pot. When I received it, it was in a pot a bit larger, potted in medium sized bark, and was growing sideways. I stood it back up when I repotted it. The lady that has had it for a while said it flowers for her every year, and grows like a weed. Other than that, she has no information on the plant. I've noticed that there is new leaf growth out of the very tip of one cane, as well as some new growth coming out of existing leaves. There's a root growing from one cane about half way up downwards toward the medium. The roots, or what the lady didn't manage to rot off, are much like dendrobium/oncidum roots. There was also the papery like sheath that dens and cats get on the canes, but it has since been pulled away. So, without further delay, here's some pics of the mystery plant. I hope you guys can help me figure out what it is so I can provide proper care for it.      |
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06-06-2008, 08:43 AM
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And I repotted it myself in fine tree fern fiber. It was in medium bark when I got it. |
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06-06-2008, 08:45 AM
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| kinda looks like bamboo.
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06-06-2008, 09:24 AM
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| I'm leaning in the same direction as exapseratus in that have my doubts that it is and orchid. The plant habit just doesn't look "orchid", especially epiphytic orchid. I do see the resemblance to den canes and some dens certainly can keiki of the side like that. ill these new growths grow to a certain length then stop and start a new growth from the base or will they just keep growing and growing? Also what does the root system look like?
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06-06-2008, 09:41 AM
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| Good questions Kmarch. I'm beginning to believe it's not an orchid either, but just some plant that happened to be in her green house of orchids. As far as I know, the new growths get to a certain length and stop, then start new growth. I don't know if new canes come out of the base... I've only had it for about a week now. Time will tell that! The root system looks much like the one on a oncidium or dendrobium... small white stiff roots. They aren't thread like at all. I really wish I would have thought to take a picture of them when I had it out of the pot. I'll be sure to take a pic of the air root that it put out from about the middle of one of the canes tonight and post it. The air root is what is making me lean towards it being a possible orchid. It's almost as fat as the cane, and that typical stiff white orchid like root. |
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06-06-2008, 10:36 AM
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| I wonder if it is Arundina graminifolia, which is sometimes known as the Bamboo Orchid. It's a relative of Sobralia and has thin bamboo-ish canes topped in little cattleya like flowers. The thing about those though is that they're tall, 2-3 feet. But your plant looks like it's been through some trauma so we can hardly assume this is the full size of a mature healthy plant. Here is a picture of Arundina foliage: http://www.floralresourceshawaii.com.../bamboo_of.jpg And the flower (and you can see a bit of the stalk in this one too): http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/laurab/g...o%20orchid.jpg Hmmmm....we might just have to wait until you flower it. Seeing the root will help though.
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06-06-2008, 11:00 AM
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| I thought about that one as well... The only orchid that I have ever seen in situ was the bamboo orchid when I visited Kiluea a couple years ago!  They are great. It's a possibility if what I have is actually a baby and not a mature plant. I just noticed that you can actually see the air root in the very last picture. It's located on the cane on the right hand side. It's behind the brown cane. Here's is a link to a bigger version on Flickr which might help: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/...31c01c95_o.jpg I'll try and see if I can get some root pictures tonight. |
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06-06-2008, 07:39 PM
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| I have a miniature den called Sikka Fairy.It's a nobile type and I've never grown one before. So this is just a stab in the dark--The leaf growth is very similar to yours,  but I went upstairs to compare it. The canes look nothing like what you have. Thing is, a group of us got divisions of a severely dehydrated orchid last Christmas. It is just now starting to grow well, and it is just now producing pbulbs. It appeared to have no water holding capacities and was nothing but stick-like stalks (sound familiar : Do you know if your plant was well taken care of by her previous owner?I have no idea how tall mine will grow, but since it is labeled as a "mini", I am not looking for more than ten inches. Sikka Fairy is putting out new leaves like crazy  --yours does not look as full. Water, maybe? Is she giving you a lot (three,four,five a week) of new growth? Like I said, this is just a wild stab at ID, but you can be sure I'll follow this thread. I want to know what you have...
__________________ Blessed are the cracked for they are the ones who let in the light! PAT |
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06-06-2008, 11:37 PM
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| I'm guessing its something obscure like Isochilus
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06-07-2008, 03:28 AM
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| It reminds me of the bamboo orchids that they have in bags at the airport in Hawaii. I've never grown them, but they look just like that. Not sure on the name though. |
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06-07-2008, 03:45 AM
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| I, too, am looking forward to the progress of the mystery plant. Thanks for posting about this. We all get to learn something!
__________________ Patti  |
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06-07-2008, 04:06 AM
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