Catesetum pileatum 'Jumbo Green Gold'

[marie458]

The catesetum family is chock full of intriguing flower shapes, forms, colors, and fragrances. In my opinion, pileatum is one of the more impressive specimens. It's Latin name refers to the adjective pileatus or "with a cap", as you will observe the dorsal sepal and petals forming a hood over the huge lip. This is a first bloom for me and the flowers are about 5in across! I'm expecting a higher flower count next season and as the orchid matures.

[smweaver]

The blooms are interesting. I do very much like the color. Have you ever gotten them to "launch" their pollinia? How is the fragrance of this species, good or not so good?

[marie458]

Originally Posted by smweaver

The blooms are interesting. I do very much like the color. Have you ever gotten them to "launch" their pollinia? How is the fragrance of this species, good or not so good?

Thanks, Steve No, I didn't provoke them to launch their pollinia at this time. This was a first bloom and I was too excited to have the flowers last for as long as possible. Now, next season, I may definitely try it. I understand it's quite the spectacle.

Regarding the fragrance, I didn't notice any at the very beginning of the bloom. As the days went on, though, a very pleasant scent did emerge. It's hard to describe but, to me, it smelled like candy or something sweet and spicy.