This seems like it would be an epiphytic orchid - is it a dendrobium? It was left at my apartment door (for no reason!) a few years ago after it hadn't bloomed for a year or two, and this is the first time it's flowered since I've had it. All I know about orchids is the names of the two others I have, so I may as well seek some sort of id for this one. The buds turned dark at the pointed tips before they opened, and I was afraid they were dying from lack of water, but now I suppose that's just the way they grow.
Not a dendrobium. Something considerably more interesting. Congratulations on your thriving foundling!
WOW! Wish someone would leave lovely orchids at MY door. Agree with D. and R.---not Dendrobium. I applaud you on your patience: many folks seem to expect orchids to bloom every other week or so. I have a cattleya that took years to bloom, and it was worth the wait. ---About the dry thing: some orchids seem to benefit bloom-wise from an environmental stress...I have half a dozen orchids preparing to bloom, all of which sent up flower stalks after they got cold. (65 d. F.) Some have produced two!
Yes on the stress - I've been doing a really poor job of watering, and when I was away for two weeks, the care-giver may have been doing a much better job, and then I returned with my usual amount of care, the poor thing probably got upset and thought it had better flower before it dies. Ron, thanks for the hint on beallara, which name I hadn't come across when I was looking for information. From a search on that on these forums, I came across the name Miltassia, and a photo I've found of Miltassia looks to me like my orchid(!), or plenty close enough considering how unlikely it seemed that I was going to identify it. It's supposed to be a hybrid of Brassia and Miltonia
Where I most often see blooming orchids of this type is Trader Joe's. One I looked at today had a picture card in it indicating it came from this company. http://www.matsuinursery.net/intergenerics.html
Wendy, check out the genus Rhynchostele... I don't think it's a species, but it could well be one of the parents. The conformation of the column and the petal style are definitely consistent.
There are quite few hybrids (Oncidium type intergenerics) that closely resemble your flowers. I think it would be safe to treat it as a Miltassia hybrid (Aliceara, Beallara, Degarmoara or Miltassia are have relatively similar needs). Strong indirect light, intermediate temps (not too hot), good humidity and lots of water while growing (followed by a short drying season, maintain humidity). I have trouble maintaining healthy root systems (over-watering, under-lighting) and I get 'accordian' or 'pleated' leaves on some growths because of this. Nice blooming on yours, my Degarmoara Hani 'Star of Unicorn' AM/AOS is blooming right now and as an added bonus is scented.
Thanks, lorax. I suppose I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The Rhynchostele cordata on Wikipedia does look rather similar; just because I think I have it identified a Miltassia with Miltonia and Brassia ancestors doesn't rule out Rynchostele, though mine looks like it's just going to have three flowers on the stem. Even though we don't have Trader Joe's here, I'd bet that this one came from that kind of place (I hope I'm not insulting anyone by describing it as a "yuppie supermarket" - I love those stores; in Vancouver we have a lot of corner store groceries that sell orchids) and the photo on the supplier page Ron cited, currently 2nd down on the left) that's marked "Cairns Everglades" (on mouse-over in MSIE, not Firefox) looks pretty similar, as do other Miltassias Aztec 'Nalo' or Pelican Lake 'Dearly Beloved' in photos on the Everglades Orchids page. They don't look exactly the same, but I've come a lot closer and learned a lot more than I expected.
Shaun, thanks for the care instructions (and more new words to look up!). I was going to ask about accordian pleating, which I have on this and my Miltonia, as I was having trouble coming up with a search that would give me that info. I suppose I should go back to watering and draining them at the sink, but I thought I was doing quite well with the Miltonia up to last year and it still got the accordian pleats. The photo of your Degarmoara looks similar to mine too (but not exactly the same), and now that you mentioned it, I notice that mine is scented too - not so it fills the room, but still nice.
