Not a Phal - What is it?

[dustinnewbieorchid]

Hello - I purchased this plant some time ago and have lost the ID. I've posted to various places, used some plant ID apps all to no avail. I can take more pictures of different angles if it would help.

The two recommended ID's have been:

Bulbophyllum
and
Dendrobium kingianum

I'm just not sure if that is accurate.

Thanks!
Dustin

[DirtyCoconuts]

certainly could be a Bulbo. has it ever flowered?

[neophyte]

I was thinking Masdevallia or related?

[Afid]

Looks like some kind of Pleurothallid for sure, probably a Masdevallia or Dracula.

[dustinnewbieorchid]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

certainly could be a Bulbo. has it ever flowered?

I wish it had! But not yet.

---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

Originally Posted by neophyte

I was thinking Masdevallia or related?

Oh!! Those look very much like my wayward plant.

---------- Post added at 04:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:12 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Afid

Looks like some kind of Pleurothallid for sure, probably a Masdevallia or Dracula.

You guys are good. I wish I'd posted a long time ago. Now I have to go read up. It's grown many many stems but has not flowered at all.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by dustinnewbieorchid

It's grown many many stems but has not flowered at all.

Looks like they're big enough to do some flowering. Maybe they just need enough light (or more of it) for long enough periods of time per day.

[Roberta]

Dustin - First, Welcome!

The third photo (the base of the leaves) makes me think of one of the heavy-substance Masdevallias like rolfeana, picea, whiteana for starters... there are a number of possibilities, without flowers impossible to have any idea of which one, or whether it is some other Pleurothalid. I agree with Afid that the Pleurothallid group (which is huge) is a good possibility.

Now, to the issue of growing well (which it is) without blooming, some more info about conditions would help. The first reason I always think of that an otherwise healthy orchid doesn't bloom is inadequate light (intensity and duration), but if it's a Masdevallia or other Pleurothallid, I would suspect something else because that group are mostly low-light plants.The next possible factor that I'd think of is temperature - where do you live, where are you growing it? The whole group (if we have guessed that part correctly) are relatively cool-growers. So if too warm, or in very even temperature (especially not a lot of cooling at night) it would be easy to get growth without blooming. So, can you give us a bit more information?

[Keysguy]

Dustin, welcome.
I'm leaning toward Masdevallia or Dracula and you'll probably need it to bloom to know. Going to be tough to grow and bloom if you don't know what it is. Orchid lesson #1.......keep records. Tags get lost. Trust me. I've "misplaced" plenty.
Do you remember where and who you bought it from? Sometimes that helps if it was someone we'd consider a "specialist".

[dustinnewbieorchid]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Dustin, welcome.
I'm leaning toward Masdevallia or Dracula and you'll probably need it to bloom to know. Going to be tough to grow and bloom if you don't know what it is. Orchid lesson #1.......keep records. Tags get lost. Trust me. I've "misplaced" plenty.
Do you remember where and who you bought it from? Sometimes that helps if it was someone we'd consider a "specialist".

Yes, I'll definitely be more diligent in keeping track in the future!

---------- Post added at 10:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:35 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Dustin - First, Welcome!

Thank you! Everyone has been super positive and very welcoming.

The next possible factor that I'd think of is temperature - where do you live, where are you growing it? The whole group (if we have guessed that part correctly) are relatively cool-growers... So, can you give us a bit more information?

I'll give it a spin. The house stays between 67-73 constantly. I imagine the plants get a bit more heat in the morning as they are in a north eastern facing window. I'd say the humidity in the house is about 20-25%. I do have them sitting in a tray of rocks with some water but I usually forget to refill it during the week in between waterings.

So, weekly waterings of 10-12 minutes in a soak. I had them all in a bark mixture sp(Robot Check) but have since done a heavier mixture of sphagnum moss for the plant in question. They get dusted with Miracle Grow orchid food twice a month.

I think that's most of it!

I'm quite happy with the thought of it being a Masdevallia as those look like they have some amazing flowers.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by dustinnewbieorchid

I'll give it a spin. The house stays between 67-73 constantly. I imagine the plants get a bit more heat in the morning as they are in a north eastern facing window. I'd say the humidity in the house is about 20-25%. I do have them sitting in a tray of rocks with some water but I usually forget to refill it during the week in between waterings.

So, weekly waterings of 10-12 minutes in a soak. I had them all in a bark mixture sp(Robot Check) but have since done a heavier mixture of sphagnum moss for the plant in question. They get dusted with Miracle Grow orchid food twice a month.

When you say "dusted" with fertilizer, I hope this is "misted" - as in "water with a bit of fertilizer in it". Orchids in general need very little fertilizer, and the various members of the Pleurothallid group use even less. I'd use about 1/4 of whatever it says on the bottle.(So if it says 1 teaspoon per gallon, 1/4 teaspoon per gallon is more like it, 1/2 teaspoon per gallon at most) As the weather warms, keep an eye on the watering... these hate to dry out, so you may need to water more frequently.