Catasetum expansum

[natasha]

nice flower! i'm waiting for mine to grow and bloom. i think i've killed 1 of 4 seedlings i bought last march but i bought more seedlings this month

[LauraN]

Very nice flowers!
Did you do something different to get male flowers ?
I know that say a lot has to do with the amount of sun that they receive, but I've gotten male and female flowers while the plant is in the same location...

[nancy]

Originally Posted by LauraN

Very nice flowers!
Did you do something different to get male flowers ?
I know that say a lot has to do with the amount of sun that they receive, but I've gotten male and female flowers while the plant is in the same location...

Hi LauraN - no, they are in the same place, with the same amount of light. I've always been somewhat skeptical of the hight light/female low light/male flower theory (though even people who don't grow catasetums absolutely insist that it is true). I've found that old, overgrown plants tend to produce female flowers, as well as plants that are young, sickly, fragile, and/or at death's door.
Earlier this summer one of my plants (splendens, aka xtapiriceps) produced hermaphrodites. I am hoping that it will bloom again (with something else).
Good growing - Nancy

[LauraN]

Hi Nancy,
I too am leary about the sunlight theory. I had a plant bloom a male spike of flowers and what looked to be an upcoming female spike on the same plant (but the female one blasted!) so I was curious as to your growing conditions. Thanks, Laura

[Bruno De Toni]

Originally Posted by nancy

Hi LauraN - no, they are in the same place, with the same amount of light. I've always been somewhat skeptical of the hight light/female low light/male flower theory (though even people who don't grow catasetums absolutely insist that it is true). I've found that old, overgrown plants tend to produce female flowers, as well as plants that are young, sickly, fragile, and/or at death's door.
Earlier this summer one of my plants (splendens, aka xtapiriceps) produced hermaphrodites. I am hoping that it will bloom again (with something else).
Good growing - Nancy

Totally agree with this comment. I used to put strong catasetums and cycnoches plants on high light conditions and I got males flowers. Light is not the only parameter. I have now some female flowers on plants located in darker conditions, at leats in the tropics the ammount of light is not enough to have female flowers.

[Gena]

Nancy, congratulations to such beauty!!!! I just love spotted forms of Catasetum expansum – in my opinion they are just lovely.