Got Absolutely No IDea

[Silje]

This is Absolutely No IDea.


According to the previous owners, he's hailing from Zimbabwe where he used to live as a wild orchid. I'm not sure I'm buying it. He looks like a dendrobium cane to me, and they are, as far as I know, from Asia, but it's what the owners of a local nursery told me.

The nursery has a handful of huge, very established and old specimen plants that are growing in the ground several places in the green houses. They really do look like a type of dendrobium to me. I've been drooling over them wanting to buy one, but they're not for sale. Strangely enough, because the owners of the nursery are not very passionate about orchids and one of them at some stage said the terrestrial growing orchids were remnants from the previous owners and a bit of nuisance.

I was walking around at the nursery one day and came across two canes (that look like they are some kind of nobile type) that some of the weekend helpers had pulled up and thrown into a heap of weed and dry leaves.

I picked them up, and for a moment, I was considering hiding them in my bag instead of showing them off at the counter (since I know they're not for sale).

Since I was already on a roll, I grabbed hold of No IDea and....eeeeeer...twisted and turned a bit to see if he, maybe...just...kind of...happened to fall off the parent plant. It's not something good girls are supposed to do, I know.



And I promise you this it not something I have a habit of doing and if you ever invite me to look at your orchid collection, I will leave all your plants intact and untouched.

Approaching the counter I lost all kleptomaniac courage and confessed my sins to the weekend helpers that thought I was totally out of my mind when I asked if I could please pay for the three canes I'd pinched. 'They're orchids', I tried to explain and they just looked at me and shook their heads and told me that they had really nice phals in the green house. In the end they told me I could help myself with whatever weed they had, for free.

Now Got Absolutely No IDea is coming to life. He's shooting and has begun to make tiny roots after months in a box with moist sphagnum.

This is the critical phase in my propagation attempts. This is where it all seems to go...not so well. My keikis have a tendency to get root rot, and I struggle to get them through the critical baby phase.

My gut feeling says that No IDea should just stay in his small, humid nest for the time being, but when is it actually time to pot him up? And how do I make sure that the transition from the box with sphagnum and real life is not too brutal on him?

Is it better to keep keikis slightly on the drier side than on the wet side? Or will they wilt and die quickly if they are not moist enough? I've lost so many to rot, and none to drought yet.

And lastly, of course..., does anybody know about orchids from Zimbabwe that have canes that look like dendrobiums?

[vjo]

I too would say it is a Den. I would keep it in the box until it gets 3-5 inches of roots and then plant it loosly in a well draining mix. Water lightly until it gets established....Jean

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Most likely Ansellia africana.

Ansellia africana

[Silje]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Most likely Ansellia africana.

Ansellia africana

That's a good suggestion. I googled it and the images on google certainly look a lot like the plants in the nursery.

Thank you, Philip.

They say it actually occurs in the wild even here in Namibia.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

There are lots of wild orchids all throughout certain parts of Africa where vegetation can still grow.

I don't know how many species of Disas or Satyrium Namibia has, but your country most definitely has at least these two genera of orchids, plus Ansellia and quite possibly Eulophia. There are others too, but I'm not familiar with Namibian orchids.

Namibia is next to South Africa, where there definitely are orchids all over the place, with several species being endemic to only certain regions within the country! There are orchids going all the way up to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Then in central Africa you have the rainforests which contain a lot of epiphytical orchids - particularly the species belonging to the genera Angraecum or Aerangis.

[cbuchman]

This is an exciting find. Please post pictures of your progress. It would be really fun to see this keikei progress to flowering.

[Silje]

Originally Posted by cbuchman

This is an exciting find. Please post pictures of your progress. It would be really fun to see this keikei progress to flowering.

I will. I'll update his progress with some pictures when he reaches important milestones, like losing his milk teeth, getting his first leaves and all that. If he survives long enough. With me as a parent, you never quite know.

[Bud]

dont feel guilty if you picked it up from the ground with the weeds to be thrown out....

I have picked up orchids from the trash from the greenhouse of a seller....and from other stores....
I definitely wont pay for it ....

I am glad that it is giving you a new nubbin plant....

Philip gave us a view of the future for that plant and it will grow large and floriferous....

I am glad you got a native orchid that will grow naturally in the ground of your zone.

[Silje]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

There are lots of wild orchids all throughout certain parts of Africa where vegetation can still grow.

I don't know how many species of Disas or Satyrium Namibia has, but your country most definitely has at least these two genera of orchids, plus Ansellia and quite possibly Eulophia. There are others too, but I'm not familiar with Namibian orchids.

Namibia is next to South Africa, where there definitely are orchids all over the place, with several species being endemic to only certain regions within the country! There are orchids going all the way up to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Then in central Africa you have the rainforests which contain a lot of epiphytical orchids - particularly the species belonging to the genera Angraecum or Aerangis.

Compared to the eastern side of the sub-Saharan Africa, Namibia is bone dry. It's got a lot of the same climatic conditions as Chile with huge deserts and limited rainfall. I've always considered it to be a unsuitable habitat for orchids, except along the few perennial rivers that we've got.

But...I now googled the generas you mentioned, and something fell into place.

Some years ago, during the rainy season, I came across this weird looking, bright yellow 'lily' when I was out checking on the cattle.

We've got lots of lilies that flower during the rainy season, but I'd never seen one quite like this before. It was before I begun collecting orchids as a hobby, and honestly, the thought of it being an orchid didn't even cross my mind.

I've been back to the place where I saw it several times, and I've been looking for the plant (something has been nagging me about it), but I haven't managed to find it again.

Yesterday I googled 'Eulophia', and I ended up looking at pictures of Eulophia speciosa

And there it was. My mystery lily! I'm going to patrol that area of the cattle camp every day this rainy season, and cross my fingers that it will flower this year.

I'm not sure I'll take it home with me, but at least I wanna mark the fence poles so that I know where I can find it again. And check on it now and then.

Again, Phillip!

Thank you!

[Bud]

You are right, we must respect orchids in 'situ'....we do not want to disturb them (even if they are not endangered)....you are very lucky to have seen those beautiful blooms near your home....