Mormodes maculata

[Gena]

Mormodes maculata is endemic to Mexico. It has quite unusual flowers – they are facing upwards and they never fully open, but they are sitting so close to each other, that when you are looking at them from an upper angle they look like a “flower road”.
Flowers are strongly fragrant and the fragrance reminds me some kind of cough mixture, actually quite pleasant to my nose.




Close-up picture

[isurus79]

Gena,
That is one species I have never heard of. It looks very cool! Is it closely related to tuxtlensis?

[Gena]

Thank you, Steve!

Originally Posted by isurus79

Is it closely related to tuxtlensis?

Yes, Steve, you are right! Total appearance is very similar for these two species.
If you look at Mormodes tuxtlensis you can see that the major difference between this one and Mormodes maculata is that flowers of Mormodes tuxtlensis much more open (take a look at the close-up picture and compare them, there the flower of Mormodes maculata in front is opened maximally).
Another visual difference is that flower of Mormodes tuxtlensis much more loosely arranged on inflorescence than flowers of Mormodes maculata.
Both species are Mexican but with distinct habitant areas.

[Rosim_in_BR]

Super nice! Well done, Gena!!

[Bruno De Toni]

Very interesting plant, the color contrast is very cool (yellow with red-brown spots) and pictures awesome. Are all of them male ?, and is this time of the year in which they normaly bloom, because species which I cultivate bloom at the end of the year (winter time) ??.

[kinknstein]

Awesome pics of a great plant! Thanks for sharing!

[Gena]

Mauro,
Bruno,
Nick,
Thank you!

Originally Posted by Bruno De Toni

Are all of them male?

Yes, Bruno, they are.

Originally Posted by Bruno De Toni

is this time of the year in which they normaly bloom, because species which I cultivate bloom at the end of the year (winter time) ??

Bruno, usually they are blooming a bit later, during September, but this year this particular plant woke up a bit earlier than normal. Another one, namely Mormodes maculata var. unicolor starts only showing its spike at the moment. Sometimes they are flowering twice during one season. Last year Mormodes maculata var. unicolor bloomed twice – first time in June and the second one in late September/October
Here is the picture of last year flowering of Mormodes maculata var. unicolor