Please help with Ident. so I can care for it properly

[OOAJ]

The back story: I'm a novice with orchids, I recently joined the local society, (and this forum, my first post), and the society just held its annual fundraiser/orchid auction. I got some really great Paphs and a Phal as well as a Miltassia Dark Star in bloom, which I will post pictures of shortly when time permits.

Then, I won this thing with a whopping $2 bid. At that price, I figured I could afford to take a chance. It was a late donation, and all it had on the lable was the date that it was split.

Apparently the donee suggested that it is a Coelogyne massangeana, and at a glance it made sense, but after doing some reserach I have my doubts. It only has one leaf per psuedobulb. Beyond that, the only thing I can tell, (or assume), is that it's a little dehydrated because the pseudo bulbs are hard but pruney looking.

If anyone can identify this little diamond in the rough or point me to some generic care instructions that would be great! I'm currently opperating under the assumption that it's some kind of Coelogyne, so I'm not going crazy with the water, but as I understand it, some need more of a dry rest period than others, so as I said, any information would be helpful.

Thanks in advance

[Merlyn]

My guess is that it's in the Cattleya alliance, NOT Coelogyne. But that's just my opinion, I could be Dennis Miller !

AOS Cattleya Culture Sheet

[Roy]

Definitely in the Catt/Laeliinae family. Look up cultural notes for Cattleya and you'll be right.

[WhiteRabbit]

I'm definitely no expert, but looks like a Catt to me

[OOAJ]

Ok, so I've been looking at Cat info, and Thing, I've decided that's it's name for the time being, seems to fit the descriptions well enough, except that it only has 1 leaf per bulb... Is this typical/right, does that narrow the field at all interms of identification?

Finally, I understand that Cat.s like to dry out between wattering, but the bark it's in feels very dry and as I mentioned, the bulbs look a bit pruney, is this ok, or should I give it a little extra water/food to see if the bulbs will plump up?

[silken]

Some catts have one leaf and others have 2 leaves. It depends what is in their parentage. There are so many different hybrids that it can't likely be narrowed down just on leaf number. It looks perfectly normal.

Most catts do like to dry out between watering. But if it is very dry now, you could soak the pot in water for 1/2 hour and then let it drain well. The pseudobulbs may plump up a bit but many older ones do look wrinkled. Younger ones are usually plump.

[OOAJ]

Good to know, sounds like I got more than my money's worth for $2 then. Thanks to everyone who posted here.

[rfenwick]

New to the forum, currently growing mostly catts and laelias. I'd concur with the other replies that it looks to be a unifoliate (one leaf per bulb) catt or one of the larger laelias - possibly L purpurata/tenebrosa/lobata. I have a lobata/purpurata cross that's about this size and habit. It looks like you have some nice new growth on it - at least three new leaves from what I saw in the pic. Many times divisions have more vigor than the parent. The new growth looks to be progressing well, so I'd water it every 3-4 days until the growths mature. Don't overdo it on the fertilizer - normal amounts should be fine. Once mature they will start throwing new roots and that's the best time to repot if you want it in a different container. I typically repot new plants as a rule, just so I don't get nasty surprises (like snails) later on.

[OOAJ]

Yes, there is some new growth on it, good eyes there. So here's the next big question, any real realistic idea of when this could flower? Am I looking at a few months or a year plus?

[Zoi2]

Your plant appears to be bloom size. Depending on the normal bloom cycle of this plant, I would think you could have blooms within a year.
Joann