Vietnamese Terrestrial

[s1214215]

Hi, can anyone help me identify this Vietnamese terrestrial. It seems to have a very weak flower stem. Havent seen it bloom yet. Will post when it does. I am hoping to pollinate it. It seems to put up a single flower at a time from the crown nestle deep in the leaves. Growth looks like Habenaria Carnea to me, except the flower/bud.

Brett

[lepanthes89]

WOW
Very nice!Almost like a Sanseveria !
Perhaps a Habenaria(?).We need to see the flower,then I can check my books on Vietnamese orchids.
Good luck

[s1214215]

Hi Lepanthes89

I had better pictures from this morning, but my phone dumped them while I downloaded them onto my PC a few minutes ago. So now I have the half finished flowers. Not sure if they just are short lived or because I mauled them while pollinating them - not easy as the pollen was white, tiny and damn sticky.

I will put more up once it flowers again in a day or two. Oh, they like it cool. In Bangkok's sweltering heat, the buds drooped, but in the cases 22c, they are upright.

Brett

[orchideric]

Dear Brett,

This is a peacock ginger (Kaempferia), not an orchid.

Hope that helps, Eric

[s1214215]

Originally Posted by orchideric

Dear Brett,

This is a peacock ginger (Kaempferia), not an orchid.

Hope that helps, Eric

Hi Eric

I dont think that it is. I know what you mean though as they are common here in Thailand. It seems to have the same sexual parts eg. column, pollen cap etc.

I regret my phone dumped the good pics as they show it more clearly. I will take more when it flowers.

Brett

[s1214215]

Hi Everyone

How embarrasing. I have a Kaempferia Galanga it seems. It looks so much like an orchid same sepals, petals in number and the sexual parts are visibly the same, well I was using 40x mag. I wonder. Must be going blind. Pretty thing though. Still, no space for non-orchids in my collection.

Anyway, this is me feeling like a goose. 20+ years in orchids and what do I know

Brett

[shadec]

i doubt it is Kaempferia galanga, they are native to india, and the flower and leaf shape is completely different!
Kaempferia Galanga - Flower Encyclopedia
read all the info, sounds nothing like what you and the pictures describe
i think it may well be an orchid, keep looking around. how do you know its from vietnam? is it wild there? (did you pick it?)
i say get lepanthes and ask him to have a check in his book!
-J

[seamonkey]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A2GmZY6kvo...aempferia2.jpg

There's great variation in Kaempferia- here's one with a similar-looking flower.

[shadec]

even though that looks more like it, it still isnt quite right. the leaves are also completely different.
in my opinion anyway!
-J

[shadec]

can you describe its roots? are they thick, white and rigid or soft and threadlike? when you pollinated them, was there a pollen powder or was it in pollinia form? these are just two other ways i would recommend to try to determine orchid vs. kaempferia
-J