Trader Joes NOID

[SteveM]

I am in dis-belief on all the different orchids I am seeing in the stores these days. Up until this year I never seen anything other than Phalaenopsis and sometimes at certain times of the year cymbidiums. But I can't find cymbidiums anymore these past several years. This winter I have seen dens, catts, and now these 2 plants which did not have any tags. The purple one I am thinking its a zygopedlium and the red/orange one I think is Wilsonara wildfire. I am still relatively new to the orchid world, about 2 years in, so my identification is not the best. I really don't get why nurseries don't put a tag with what they are. I don't know anyone that doesn't want to know what they have. And find it hard that they don't know what they are growing. Anyone have any ideas on what these may be. Thank you for all your answers.

I made a promise and said I would not get anymore orchids until the spring. So much for that LOL.

[Roberta]

The one on the left is a Zygopetalum hybrid, and the one on the right is in the Oncidium group. Impossible to get exact IDs., But you can find plenty of culture notes for those groups on the Board. Good catches!

[SteveM]

Thanks Roberta, You always Come through. I was looking at other red and orange ones and found a lot of oncidium alliance that look like this. Kind of brain racking after a while, not to mention the zillion hybrids and intergenerics.

[LexaCat]

Wow. I wish I could find orchids like that in my local Trader Joe’s. I was in the San Francisco Bay Area for the holidays and saw Nobile-type Dendrobiums and a variety of nice Oncidiums in a suburban Safeway. This trend has not yet spread to Chicago…

[Dalachin]

Not central New York either. Not much temptation from the local store plant racks around here!

[SteveM]

Unfortunately, the fragrance on the zygopetalum is very weak. It has a very nice Hyacinth smell but does not fill up the room. Have to get right to the flowers. There are still some unopened buds on it so maybe a few days after they open it will be stronger.

[Leafmite]

I wish I had a Trader Joes nearby but the closest are fifty miles away in either direction. Hopefully one day....

Hopefully, your Zygo will be more frequent in a few days.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by SteveM

Unfortunately, the fragrance on the zygopetalum is very weak. It has a very nice Hyacinth smell but does not fill up the room. Have to get right to the flowers. There are still some unopened buds on it so maybe a few days after they open it will be stronger.

A lot of the newer Zygo hybrids are far less fragrant than the species and the earlier hybrids. (Some aren't fragrant at all, even) Sort of like what happened with roses... to get other characteristics, the fragrance was bred out. So this one may get stronger as the flowers mature, and it may not.

[SteveM]

I was afraid of that. Kind of why I dislike hybrids, one of the reasons anyway.

[estación seca]

Markets sell orchids in flower. Most are seasonal bloomers, though commercial Phals. are subjected to temperature manipulation to make them flower at any time of the year. Check back through the year to see different plants offered.