Cycnoches herrenhusanum

[Toddybear]

This is the first time I've flowered an orchid from this genus. I like it but the flowers appear to be short-lived. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while I can!

[kavanaru]

Great colours Todd... love it!

treat it well and next year you will have a great display with a larger spike... give it a lot of light when growing but reduce it a bit when spiking. This way you will have veery yellow flowers (not greenish as with higher light) and the labellum should also develop much better on the succesive seasons... it's a great plant

and yep... that's the pitty side of Catasetinae.. flowers do not last too long... but they are worth for the about 2 weeks they normally last... and Cycnoches can produce several spikes, prolonging therefore the display too...

[cb977]

Great job, Todd!

[Toddybear]

I just found out that this one is NOT herrenhusanum, rather its a hybrid between it and chlorochilon called 'Golden Showers'.

[isurus79]

Nice flower!! Great job with that one!! It looks like you got the shape of chlorochilon and the color/texture of herrenhusanum. Good hybrid!

[Toddybear]

Well, I've changed my mind again...seems like its Kevin Clarke! There are only a few pics of either on the internet but I must admit it looks even more like Kevin Clarke than Golden Showers.

[kavanaru]

Indeed the labellum does not look like Cycnoches herrenhusanum, but I thought it was because of first blooming and would develop better next year... Where did you get the plants from? I think that better than guessing based on Internet pictures, you can contact the vendor (perhaps also attach the pic) and let them tell you whick hybrid it is...

...and I keep on it: It's a gorgeous flower with magnific colour!

[isurus79]

I agree with Kavanaru, chlorochilon and warsewiczii (I think I butchered that name) are too similar to guess which one is the parent!! The grower will know better than anyone.

[euplusia]

Nice post, Toddybear.
All of the Cycnoches species produce male and female flowers. The male flower holds pollinia under the anthere cap, and the female flower has a stigmatic cleft.
The flower in your pic (there are two flowers), has a long slender column and its top is slender. So this is a male flower.
There are two groups of Cycnoches, because there is a major difference in their male flowers. In section Eucycnoches male and female flowers have the same type of labellum. Species are chlorocholon, lehmanni, ventricosum and warscewiczii.
In section Heteranthae male and female flowers look very different. Male flowers have a labellum with a round disc and fingertype protrusions. Cycnoches herrenhusanum belongs to the second section.
A link is here: http://cosmo.turbonet.com/Home/Galle...0667331fd824f2

You have posted what looks like a male flower and for the labellum it is not herrenhusanum. Moreover a spike of male Cycnoches herrenhusanum consists normally of more than 2 flowers.
So I think its a species or hybrid of a Cycnoches section Eucycnoches.
What makes me insecure is that there are two "humps" on the labellum. It might be a hint for a hermaphrodite flower, which is more common in culture than in nature. It might also be a hint for an intergeneric hybrid.
So keep your pictures and compare it with the flowers next year.

[Toddybear]

I got this one from ebay...the vendor claims it is suppose to be herrenhusanum 'Golden Ring'...I got two other orchids from the same ebay vendor and so far at leats another was incorrectly ID'ed! Guess I won't bother with him again!