Neocogniauxia monophylla

[Roberta]

I had trouble deciding whether this belong in Cattleya tribe (to which it belongs) or miniatures (which it is) Settled on minis... Flower is around 3/4 inch - 1 inch (2 - 2.5 cm), the leaves around 1 1/2 inches (a bit under 4 cm). Had 3 buds that looked like they'd bloom together but it seems to be doing one at a time. No problem... still cute, that just extends the blooming. It is native to the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. (Coffee, anyone?) and grows outside on my patio (so tolerates cool winter nights) Pronounced approximately neo-con-i-o-i-a (named for Belgian botanist C. A. Cogniaux)

[estación seca]

Very nice. BlueNanta shows no progeny. I wonder what would happen....

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Very nice. BlueNanta shows no progeny. I wonder what would happen....

Do wonder how closely related to the rest of the Cattleya tribe it actually is. I suspect not very, so it very likely doesn't breed with anything.(It had a few other classifications, including Laelia 'way back in the 1880's, but seems to have been stable as a separate genus since 1913) Only one other species in the genus. I also suspect that it would not be all that interesting as breeding stock since it doesn't have the "classic form" that hybridizers favor. (no flower quality awards,s a "species snob" I like that.

[estación seca]

If you're willing to see what happens you should put some Cattleya pollen on it.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

If you're willing to see what happens you should put some Cattleya pollen on it.

Would not even consider it. I love it too much just the way it is.

[Afid]

I have heard that these little guys are really hard to grow, does that seem to be the case for you? I love them but they scare me.

[Roberta]

I have had mine for about a year and a half, so it has gone through two summers and one full winter, has grown well. Apparently my outdoor conditions agree with it. Even during the summer, I have moderately cool nights. So knowing that it comes from moderately high elevations in tropical latitudes, I'd expect that it needs conditions very similar to many Pleurothallids. It is in a net pot with small bark, I just dropped the whole thing into that little terracotta pot for stability (which I suspect also gives it a bit of cooling), and other than that, just shady and on the damp side. So it has performed well for me, no particular effort. A "difficult" orchid is one for which you have to work to get the right conditions... It might actually be harder to grow under "controlled" conditions than it is on my coastal southern California patio.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Do wonder how closely related to the rest of the Cattleya tribe it actually is. I suspect not very, so it very likely doesn't breed with anything.(It had a few other classifications, including Laelia 'way back in the 1880's, but seems to have been stable as a separate genus since 1913) Only one other species in the genus. I also suspect that it would not be all that interesting as breeding stock since it doesn't have the "classic form" that hybridizers favor. (no flower quality awards,s a "species snob" I like that.

First. Really cool plant and flowers

Second. I don’t understand the last sentence of your response comment, Roberta. What does that mean?

[DeaC]

Some yrs ago this one got me very interested until I read what conditions it needed so now I can say better you than me. Shape,color and size are magnificent.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

First. Really cool plant and flowers

Second. I don’t understand the last sentence of your response comment, Roberta. What does that mean?

Thanks! By "controlled conditions" I mean the growing environments that most people have to create because during much of the year, outdoor growing is impossible. In some ways it's harder to achieve an environment cooler than ambient (indoors) than one that is warmer. So the question arose as to whether this species is "difficult to grow", it's reputation... for me it has been quite easy, since I have the conditions naturally - cool, not cold, a fairly rare combination. If I have to grow in an indoor grow area, it might be harder to keep it happy.