ID Yucatan orchid please?

[Zoi2]

Originally Posted by shadec

wow!
they're incredibly beautiful!
hope we find out what it is
-J

I agree!!!
Joann

[phearamedusa]

Those flowers are very cool. Hope you find out what it is.

[Jonna]

I've been searching and I believe I have ID'd this as Myrmecophila tibicinis from the pic and description here on IOSPE.

They are native to this area and the guy I got it from lives out in the country where they are most common. They are pretty common everywhere though, I've seen large ones that look like this (haven't seen the blooms) growing on trees in vacant lots here in the city.

The bloom is so high that I had not sniffed it, after reading the description I got on a chair and yes, it is very fragrant. I have some other pieces of this type of orchid that were blown down in a storm. I've had them on the rock wall in light but shade and now I'm going to move them to a log in the pond which gets full sun about half the day. They won't be in the water but over it, and I can spray them occasionally in the dry season.

It's nice to know more about the plants that I have and that grow in the area.

Here's a pic of the whole group on the wall, the stem is about 4' long. It is at the edge of the terrace with bright light but no direct sun. I don't want to move this one because of the other plants also attached to the wood.

[phearamedusa]

Jonna,

I'm not an expert, but the IOSPE description listed another orchid and said that they are sometimes confused with each other. I think yours is M brysiana. I found this picture Myrmecophila brysiana photo - Bryan Ramsay photos at pbase.com and while the color is darker the general form seem more alike to me. Maybe another member will offer another opinion.

Either way its still a very cool flower.
Melanie

ps. found another one http://www.orchidees.fr/forums/index...&mode=threaded

[Jonna]

Yes, I saw M brysiana too. I think it has more yellow than mine. The lip is lavender at the bottom on mine and the yellow is not as prominent as some of the pictures I've seen. However, on other pictures I see some lavender at the base of the lip on the brysiana as well. IOSPE lists the brysiana as native from Belize south and we are just north of Belize on the Yucatan peninsula. However, these grow inland here where it is very dry in the dry season, everything turns brown and there is little to no rain for months. They list brysiana as growing in mangroves near the ocean and in an area with higher humidity and some rainfall during the dry season. It's difficult to tell for a novice.

Here's another picture when the bloom first opened.



I too hope someone with more knowledge pops in. I've read the description here but I don't know what the 'disc' is that would have fewer veins on the brysiana.