A Vanda, Sarcochilus, Rhynchostylis ?.. eek

[elisenote]

Hi Everyone - this is my first post on the forum. I'm just an incidental orchidist with an eclectic collection of orchid pets (they are surely not plants!) and live in Toronto Canada, an ideal climate for tropical rainforest plants .

I've had this orchid for over 9 years but finally figured out how to grow it - it likes indirect bright light and continual humidity but drainage. I have it in wood bark chips. Its robust and has finally flowered for the first time with this spray of purple with a little white flowers. These are beautifully, if not highly, scented smelling like a very expensive bath oil - cucumber/citrus.

At first I thought it was a Vanda variant because of the monopodial symetrical leaf growth. However, the flowers seem more Sarcochilus-like (to my untrained eye) but that genus does not seem to have the lobed leaves. And then I found the Rhynchostylis - which fits well but the plant looks too small to be giganticus. The longest leaf is ~10 inches and the flower spray is less than 6 from the leaf axil to tip.

Am I close? Or is it perhaps a hybrid...



Elise
PS the forum denied my URL picture...

---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 AM ----------

Can't post a URL to my image on photobucket. I used the image icon above but it was denied. Any suggestions?

[wintergirl]

Welcome to OrchidBoard Generally you need 5 posts before you can put pictures on the site. Just make a few comments on other member's blooms and you will get your 5 posts quickly.

[elisenote]

how about I just post the URL and maybe someone can cut and paste?

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/...psjcugpezm.jpg

---------- Post added at 07:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:36 PM ----------

wow, that worked!

[WhiteRabbit]

I added your photo to your initial post - since you have more than five posts now, you shouldn't have trouble. I copied and pasted the 'share this photo' IMG url from your image in photobucket Helpful tips here Tips for posting Photos

Sorry - I can't help with ID ...

[judith_arquette]

It's lovely whatever it is

[MrHappyRotter]

Looks like Rhynchostylis gigantea to me, or perhaps a hybrid of it. Without a tag you never really know for sure exactly what you have.

[Optimist]

Here you go!


You are in luck! You have photobucket! look at the list of the types of files on the Left side. The one that has a square bracket and URL, URL/ you just copy, then paste into your post. That is the easiest way to post using Photobucket.

OOOPs, looked like someone else got there first--- This is gorgeous! Are those strange shaped leaf tips? I have 2 mini "vandacious" orchids, Haraella, and growsourdia, but no big vandas.

[elisenote]

If it is Rhynchostylis gigantea, which seems the best guess yet, then how did this get its name? Are the native people very very small there?

[Fairorchids]

I answered most of your questions in the thread about Rhy gigantea.

From this photo, I am 99.8% certain that it is a Rhy gigantea and not a hybrid.