I bought this at an orchid sale, but I don't think it's an orchid... - Orchid Board

Jadeco · #1 07-23-2008, 04:25 PM

It's potted in some kind of foamy feelilng white round...pellets? They are a little under a centimeter in diameter. There is moss on top of the pot. It looks like it needs repotting.

There are also some roots hanging down from the branches. Not sure what to do with those.

Ross · #2 07-23-2008, 04:39 PM

That appears to be some sort of Bulbophyllum - an orchid. It needs some care, like repotting, but it seems to be a traveller, for sure. The "stem" is actually part of the rhizome. Many types of orchids do this naturally.

cb977 · #3 07-23-2008, 04:40 PM

It looks like a Coelogyne to me...and there is a Coel fimbriata in existence.

The tag in your picture says Cor fimbriata. I checked Orchidwiz and found that abbreviation for Corallorrhiza which is a totally new word for me!

but none of them are fimbriata.

I think your chid is just mistagged.

If it's what I think it is, here's what to expect:
IOSPE PHOTOS

Jadeco · #4 07-23-2008, 04:56 PM

Thanks for all the info =) Looking at the roots, it looks like it should be potted in something more fine versus coarse.

So, um, how do you suggest I care for it?

(nervous)

Royal · #5 07-23-2008, 05:12 PM

I was going to say it looked like a Bulbophyllum. But I don't have a Coelogyne so I really wouldn't know. Definitely an orchid though.

Well, after staring at the photo some more, are there bifoliate Bulbos? I guess I'd go with Susanne.

epiphyte78 · #6 07-23-2008, 05:36 PM

Looks pretty much the same as my Coelogyne fimbriata which is so far growing great outdoors here in Southern California. The three divisions that I have are all mounted...two on Pygmy Date Palm trunks and one a Ficus benjamina tree.

What I would do with that plant would be to divide it into at least two divisions and mount the divisions in somewhat different microclimates and compare how they respond to the different conditions.

Jadeco · #7 07-23-2008, 05:50 PM

I was thinking about purchasing a tree fern pot or mounting it. Probably a pot since I'm still a novice... Thoughts?

Ross · #8 07-23-2008, 05:54 PM

It's a wanderer, to be sure. I'd go with a totem pole thing (tree fern) or a largish mount. Doubt you can keep it in a pot.

Jadeco · #9 07-23-2008, 06:01 PM

Okay okay. I will break away from my potting paradigm. It will be my first mounted orchid ever.

Ross · #10 07-23-2008, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jadeco

It could always wander outside the pot? =/ I am just worried that it won't get enough humidity if it's mounted. I live in the the Pacific Northwest and recently purchased a humidity tray for my orchids.

Humidity, now that's a much-contested topic. I grow most of my big "wanderers" in humidity as low as 30% and as high as 65%. This is not high humidity by most standards. I don't grow Bulbos (or their close releatives) but do have several Paphs and a couple Phals and several Neos. These all are consider high-humidity plants. But in my house, they get what they get, and they grow and bloom spectacularly. My soft suggestion, is mount it, and grow it in a window in your house. While mounting it, add a bit of new good sphagnum moss around the roots to hold a bit more moisture. Spray it (or dunk it) daily, and see what happens. Let us know.