New Growth Porn

[Fairorchids]

From time to time, I encounter a plant with amazing growth.

In 2018, a friend purchased a C. Penang 'Black Ceasar' with 5 leads from Waldor Orchids. In 2019, that plant bloomed with 13 spikes! Not all were new leads though, this plant often sends up both a spring and fall growth, and then blooms on both.

Here is another case. In April 2019, I purchased a large seedling of C. loddigesii from Miranda Orchids at the SEPOS show. It had 2 leads, and I judged that it was 2 years from blooming size. I repotted it into a 4" clay pot with mostly spagnum. It grew well, and added a couple of leads.

To my surprise, it bloomed on two barely 4" tall pseudobulbs in February 2020 (single flower on each spike). I forgot to take a photo of it, but I used it in my display at the DCOS show. I have cropped my display photo to show just this plant.

When I looked at it yesterday, I discovered that each of the 4 leads, has 2 new growths. Even if it continues to set only 1 flower on each spike, this kind of growth from a super compact plant makes it a keeper.

Divisions should be available in a couple of years.