The zygo alliance isn't as well-known as some of the others. Zygos and their relatives are gorgeous plants, but they're seldom available to the public. Most of the plants in this alliance are pretty obscure (you will probably never see a Huntleya, Stenia, or Pescatorea at a Lowe's, much less at a supermarket).

I have only seen zygos at chain shops and regular stores a handful of times. The only time I see them in abundance is at plant festivals, and even then, the selection is usually limited.

But I agree. It's a shame this alliance isn't as popular. Many of its members are as easy to grow as catts and phals.

EDIT: You can go two weeks without watering zygos (saying this from experience). They stop growing, though, and if they're in spike, it shortens the life of the flowers. :)

Yeah I know that! I meant why aren't Zygos more available? since they grow fast would be convenient for sellers to sell 3 PB divisions and so on...
Anyway since I have been into this for less than a year... gotta say what is about to bloom now is my Dendrobium sulcatum and a Den aphyllum more than my Phals.

Lack of commercial importance and demand, I guess. People just wanna grow the popular stuff, the stuff they know about. Zygos are the kind of stuff they don't find out about until they read an orchid book or get more into the hobby.

As far as marketing of plants goes, it would seem that sellers want to stick to the "tried and true" and not explore other possibilities, even though those possibilities could be more profitable. I guess the obscurity of the zygo is its killer here. Commercial growers know that catts and phals are always in high demand, not just in the growing hobby but also in the Floral industry. They're more concerned with perpetuating a popular and profitable item than they are with promoting the unknown.

Kinda wish I could do something to promote the alliance, but I'm just not sure what. :)

Maybe hold a banner that says "Gimme zygos, or gimme death" in front of lowe's? Have a bunch of friends put zygo flowers in their hair and have a sit-in? Dress up and pretend I'm a Bollea? LOL :rofl:

All right, all right. I know I'm getting carried away. :biggrin:

hi, vanda sold at supermarkets aren't as tall as those planted outdoors. most are mostly 1-2 ft tall, sometimes 3-4 ft tall. orchids sold here in supermarkets / nurseries are mostly in bloom.

however, during this chinese new year, i see more den-phals. phals are lesser since more expensive and economic downturn. vandas also not so much. but the chinese would buy not just 1-2 pots of orchids, but a few as home deco during this festive period.

as a hobbyist, going to supermarket and local nurseries can be a frustrating experience. that i when i found a good place i won't hesitate to spend a lot, since i wouldn't know when is my next buy!

Talking about Zygopetalum species, hybrids, and intergenerics, as well as other Zygopetalinae.

In my experience, aside from Zygopetalum and it's intergenerics, most other groups of Zygopetalinae such as Stenia and Huntleya don't make great beginner's plants. Perhaps plants such as Pescatorea or Kefersteinia are easier to grow than Stenia or Huntleya, but even then they're more for people with some experience, not the casual person who doesn't know much about the life and biology of an orchid.

Do keep in mind some of these pseudobulbless Zygopetalinae are from environments that not everyone lives in. Not everyone has an intermediate to warm house temperature range with moderate to high humidity year round.

While Zygopetalum are very easy to grow. Like Andrew had mentioned, they're not very gaudy in coloration. They only come in green, white, purple, and brown. Even if the purples are rich, think about the color variation of a Phalaenopsis in comparison to a Zygopetalum.

I'll add that Zygopetalum cannot compete with the kind of pattern variation that one has with Phalaenopsis.

While it's true the Zygopetalum and some of the other Zygopetalinae are fragrant. Do remember that human beings are creatures that use vision first, and smell somewhere near last.

Not to mention, Angurek is right Zygopetalums and Zygopetalinae are relatively obscure in the mainstream.

I mentioned myself that Zygopetalums are obscure in the mainstream - I was the first person to bring up that point.

The Zygopetalinae was not even discussed initially. The initial comment was referring to Zygopetalums specifically, and that's what I was talking about. Now you have your opinion, and I have mine. But you still haven't convinced me that Zygopetalums don't have the potential to become more popular. I see them at shows all the time, and they are always a hit, with both hobbyists and newcomers/casual growers. I disagree with you that fragrance is unimportant to growers. My mom always wants to know if a plant is fragrant before she buys it, and I see people smelling flowers at orchid shows all the time. It's a big plus for any flower, and it always adds points.

I saw Zygos at Trader Joe's but always passed because they had no label... Have not seen for a while but if I came across I would maybe get one. being not so common probably it is possible to ID the plant from the bloom anyways.

With those dark purple / almost black they would be perfect for wakes and funerals as well!

Anyway it does not take much to notice that Phals are the most popular and available. Maybe since they are easy to kill people buy and then dispose them.

Yet if people are not going to rebloom by killing those Phals a Cattleya may be as good as well.

Probably Phals have the brightest and most color saturated blooms, maybe that is what makes them popular

I realize that I'm not the first person to discuss Zygopetalums and Zygopetalinae.

However, the subject keeps coming up.

I also realize that I'm also not the first person to discuss the fact that some Zygopetalinae are obscure.

There's no dispute. It's backup.

I did not say that fragrance was unimportant to growers. I'm merely stating that people will see first and think about fragrance later. There are many instances, where some people will not know that the orchid they purchased was fragrant initially. Most of the time they'll realize it after the fact that they've seen a visually beautiful flower. This is what I like to call the "see first, then realize it's fragrant later" principle. Only if the perfume of the flower is powerful, will it come first. Most orchids don't have that strong of a fragrance.

It makes sense, because the one sense we as humans use the most is sight. We don't use our sense of smell to nearly the same degree as sight. The exception being that if the person was blind, but I'm not talking about that.

At the same time, I did not say that Zygopetalums did not have the potential to be popular amongst the mainstream. I'm stating that it has difficulties doing so in comparison to Phals, Catts, Dens, and Oncs. If they do gain mainstream popularity I wouldn't be terribly surprised. But if they never gain popularity, I wouldn't be surprised either.

If you or anyone else has said it, I don't see anything wrong in another person saying the same thing. It's verification.

I need to clarify something here: the reason why I pointed out that I was the first person to mention that Zygos are obscure compared to Phals, etc. was because I am trying to maintain a "middle ground" on the initial discussion I was having with stefpix. I didn't want to sound like a complete jerk and disagree with everything he said (if you read our posts you'll understand what I mean), so when he mentioned Zygos I did say that they are obscure, but I also recognized the validity in his point. So I wasn't trying to knock you for repeating what I said or anything, I was just trying to emphasize that I see both points of view.

To me, you did make it sound like it was your opinion that Zygos could never become more popular. You supported what Andrew said, and seemed to openly disagree with what I had said. That's why I responded the way I did.

I'm sorry I had to babble on like this for clarification. :rofl: It can be very difficult to communicate on the Internet sometimes - it's very easy to misinterpret what people are saying.