Sudamerlycaste ciliata

[Dulcinea]

Let me start my saying I hope I’m in the right forum.

I’ve had a Sudamerlycaste ciliata for several years. It’s a plant with about 8 pseudobulbs and a new growth about 12” high. I can’t find anything about the plant or it’s care. Can anyone give me some info on this plant.

Thanks

Could not figure out how to add a picture

[Roberta]

Welcome!

First, whatever you are doing, the plant seems to like it so keep on!
To add a picture, from the dialog box, select Go Advanced and scroll down to Manage Attachments. That gives you a pop-up where you can browse to the photo on your computer, and select Upload.

For care, you can learn a lot from information about where it grows in nature (IOSPE is a great source) From there, you can see that it grows over an elevation range of 1000-2800 m, in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, shady. From the elevation, you can guess that it handles a pretty wide temperature range - probably into the 80's F if damp, down as low as the 40s F. The whole genus likes to be on the damp side (similar to Lycaste)

[Dulcinea]

Thanks Roberta. I’ll check the sites you mentioned. Is this orchid uncommon or hard to find? I ask because yours was the only answer I got. I don’t even know when to repot or bloom time.

[Roberta]

I don't think it's uncommon. In fact, I now realize I have one... that I got at the San Francisco show Society Sales table (so somebody had a big one, no doubt) Mine is labeled "Ida ciliata" and that is how it is on my website ... so one of those pesky name changes... don't know that Sudamerlycaste is an improvement. Mine bloomed in late February or early March (2 different years), missed last year. Looked up in Orchdiwiz (Baker culture sheet) and it shows bloomings at various times of year. So I guess, whenever it feels like it. I repotted in August but don't know that it was ideal, that's just when I noticed that the medium didn't look good and got around to it. For repotting, I'd just go for the usual, "look for new growth". Hoping that mine will get happy enough to bloom again.

[Dulcinea]

I received this in response to my request for a culture sheet

I'm thinking you mean Sudamerlycaste fragans (Oakeley) Archila.

This is thought to be a synonym of the preferred name Sudamerlycaste ciliata (Ruiz & Pav.) Archila. For a while this one has been called Lycaste ciliata (Ruiz & Pav.) Lindl. ex Rchb.f. and briefly and unacceptedly Ida ciliata (Ruiz & Pav.) A.Ryan & Oakeley.

If we ever get seed, we will likely list it either as Lycaste ciliata (the long-term name) or Sudamerlycaste ciliata, or possibly Sudamerlycaste fragans. Unfortunately we haven't done it under any name. We have done other Lycastes.


It’s all rather confusing

Thanks again
Cj

[Roberta]

Same plant... here is the list from Orchidwiz of the names that it has had. It looks like one more reference uses ciliata than fragrans, both published same year. But you can see that taxonomy is a bit messy. Orchidwiz follows the AOS which follows RHS/Kew, but there are other sources, Troy Meyers Conservancy (which publishes the culture sheets, the Bakers are both deceased but fortunately their fantastic work lives on) clearly goes by one of those others.

Orchidwiz does have a culture sheet for this, as Ida ciliata (which is probably what it was when Charles and Margaret Baker collected the data) (Orchidwiz licensed the whole collection of the Baker sheets and includes them in the program, and tries to cross reference names to what they are now) Or maybe Lycaste ciliata. Clearly there is a lot of uncertainty... according to the IOSPE notes it might be Sudamerlycaste fimbriata.

Awhile back, I was trying to figure out whether the genus Ida was pronounced "Eyda" or "Eeda" and that's when I found out that it is now pronounced "Sudamerlycaste"

Whew...

[Dulcinea]

Help! When I went to repot this plant (9 pseudo U.K. s, plus 1 new). It didn’t have even one root. Is there any hope for this plant???

[Roberta]

Fortunately, the pseudobulbs give the plant some reserves, while it is potentially working on new roots. So it doesn't look great, but with fresh medium it does have a chance.

[Dulcinea]

Thanks Roberta! What medium would you use and how wet/dry should I keep it?

[Roberta]

I use small orchiata bark with most of my lycastes and they seem to do well that way - they like to be on the damp side but it also drain well. I am not particularly scientific about watering... but then mine all live outside, rather a different situation than yours. Since spring/summer seems to be the time of rapid growth, and things dry out fast in the heat, I water every couple of days. Hopefully, someone on the Board whose conditions are closer to yours will jump in.

Other possible approach is sphagnum in a basket - I have several Lycaste species that came to me that way, I have left them and they are doing fine, exposed to the breezes. I think it all comes down to the basics... the end point, which should be damp but not soggy. How to get there has multiple paths.