Beginner with no idea - identify my orchids ?

[Davesp310]

Hi, I have posted in the "beginner" section, I have recently taken on ownership of my father's orchid collection and have absolutely no idea where to start or what type of orchids I have acquired.

Here's the first couple (the only ones currently flowering), anybody want to educate me as to what they may be ?

Sorry for such vague and basic questions, but I'm finding it hard to get info when I don't even know what type of orchid I have.

The two large purple ones I think are Dendrobiums (nobile ?), the others have me stumped. The small purple ones are only 1cm or so in size. Any ideas would be appreciated !

[Silje]

Hello and welcome to OrchidBoard!

I'm thinking that the first picture must be a cattleya alliance plant of some kind, but I'm sure others can help you narrow it down a bit.

The second picture is a dendrobium kingianum (or a hybrid based on kingianum) and it's from Australia.

Is picture 3 and 4 of the same plant? It's definitely a dendrobium. I was thinking perhaps lituiflorum, but there are quite a number of them that look pretty similar.

I'm sure someone with more experience might be able to give you a name on those.

[MattWoelfsen]

Welcome to the Orchid Board. It would also be good to post a picture of the entire plant. The flowers are lovely. The photography is also very good.

[Davesp310]

Thanks for the replies. Here are a few pics of the entire plants. The two large purple flowers are on different (but almost identical) plants - one has slightly more white in the flower. They have flower stems around 24" long. They appear to be in a pretty neglected state, my father hasn't been able to get to his orchids for a few years. It looks as though the large purple ones used to be carefully staked upright, but the newer growth is just hanging everywhere, with roots on the outside of the pot.

Dendrobium kingianum from Australia makes sense, as that's where I live . Now that I have a bit of an idea on what to look for, google tells me that I live within the natural range for Dendrobium kingianum. Dad used to be neighbours with a Forestry officer, who would allow dad to enter recently logged areas to collect orchids from trees that had been felled, perhaps this is one he collected himself ? It is in the 3" pot to the right of the larger pot with the orange flowered orchid.

I just hope I can manage to get them growing well, they have managed to produce these nice flowers despite not being touched / watered (apart from rain) / fertilised in a few years.

[RosieC]

I can't say much except to agree with Silje on she thinks they are.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Pic #1: It is generally called a "rupicolous Laelia", because in the wild they come from what are called "rupicolous fields" in the country of Brazil, where they are native to.

Rupicolous Laelias are lithophytic orchids, growing in between the crevices of granitic type rocks.

This particular plant might be Laelia briegeri, idk.

I might not be 100% correct with the name of the plant, but I know I'm very, very close about it's identity.

The problem with identifying your orchid is that there are a few species that look similar to each other. People who are more adept at separating the species apart from each other do exist, but all I can tell you is that the differences are often in the minutia.

For all I know it could be a hybrid, who knows. I am leaning towards the fact that it is a species, given that the other orchids were species orchids.

The potting media should be granitic rocks, and the pot should only be a tiny bit larger than the plant itself. Large enough to give the plant enough space for 1 season's worth of new growth. Any larger, and the plants may rot out, due to an improper balance of air to water.

They grow very bright. In the wild, they're often growing in full sun. But before you blast this guy with full sun, try growing it a bit shadier first, and slowly work your way to brighter locations to see how well it can tolerate the brightness of the sun. Give the plant at least 1 week in each corresponding level of brightness before moving it to a brighter location.






Pic #2: As another person had pointed out, it is most likely Dendrobium kingianum or a hybrid of Den kingianum.

In order to find out for sure whether it is the species or a hybrid, you may have to send some genetic samples and find out.

If it is the species, then it is a native to Oz.

The common name is "Pink Rock Orchid", because they are often found in rocky situations, usually growing on granitic outcrops.

Occasionally, they are found growing low on trees.

These can take a good amount of light as well.

I would treat it similarly to your rupicolous Laelia.






Pic #3: It is a Dendrobium. And it does appear to be Dendrobium lituiflorum at first glance.

This one is an epiphyte - they grow on trees in the wild.

Be careful not to put it into a large pot. Try to find a pot that the roots of the orchid would barely fit into.

Use medium grade bark.

Moderately bright indirect light.

[isurus79]

KOOG got this one.

Whether or not the 3rd and 4th pics of the Dendrobium are lituiflorum or not, it is in the nobile group and they all get treated fairly similarly.

[gnathaniel]

Welcome, Dave! I like your Dad's taste in orchids.

Philip is right that the first is a Brazilian rupicolous Laelia, currently included in genus Cattleya based on molecular analysis. Probably not briegeri which tends to have wider floral segments; I'd guess yours is something more like gloedeniana or bahiensis but like Philip said it may be very difficult to ID precisely. This group has a reputation for being finicky but they're quite resilient when set up right, and you have the advantage of starting with a large and healthy plant. That is a pretty huge specimen for this type!

I don't think the 3rd and 4th are Den. lituiflorum, the flowers are more typical of nobile. D. lituiflorum also has very long and thin pseudobulbs ('canes') with quickly deciduous leaves whose bases turn white/gray and cover much of the cane, whereas nobile has more persistent leaves and more green showing on the canes. All the vegetation I can see resembles nobile and not lituiflorum.

[sweetjblue]

First thing I thought of when I saw #1 was laelia cinnabarina. IDK

Judi


_____________________________________________

laelia cinnabarina - Google Search

[WhiteRabbit]

The Den in pix 3 & 4 does look like my Den nobile ...