Dipodium paludosum

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Dipodium is really an oddball genus. There are some species that don't even have true leaves.

This genus of orchids don't normally show up in the US trade. They are very rare in cultivation, and very few people even know this genus exists.

If Dipodium is closely allied to Eulophia genetically, you will most definitely see the relation to genus Cymbidium with Eulophia, so there will be an association of 1 degrees of separation between Cymbidium and Dipodium.

If you should look at the morphology of the pseudobulbs to a species such as Eulophia keithii or Eulophia graminea, it will be very apparent, and pretty much without question, that the genus Eulophia are related to the genus Cymbidium, and therefore should be a part of Cymbidideae. Vegetatively speaking, Eulophia keithii or Eulophia graminea are virtually miniaturized versions of their larger distant cousins that belong in the genus Cymbidium, for the most part.

[Cym Ladye]

Originally Posted by lambelkip

There are no registered crosses of any Dipodium species. this is probably due to the difficulty of propagating the plants, and has nothing to do with genetic compatibility. Genetic studies have shown them to be closely related to Eulophia, not Vanda. If any crosses are made, it will certainly be with something from the Cymbidium alliance.

I have seen coriaceous leaved, warm growing Cyms crossed with cool growing Cyms (aloifolium x tracyanum) as one example, and I have only heard of one of that mentioned cross blooming, almost surely because of the disparity of cultural conditions..... and they are both Cymbidiums in taxonomic terms all the way.

I have seen Cymbidiella x Cymbidium crosses made, and that genus is closer morphologically than Dipodium, and the resultant percentage of bloom in 99% of the crosses is abysmal. If one has nothing more to do than to prove that "cousins" can breed and bloom, there is a calling. I personally grow my crosses to bloom.

CL

[pheli]

I've never seen this before. The bloom looks like that of Ansellia.