Cynorkis gibbosa advice

[estación seca]

Hello,

I got some plants from Louisiana Orchid Connection's Madagascar pre-order. Among them is a dormant bare tuber of Cynorkis gibbosa.

I've found this useful thread:
Cynorkis gibbosa
and wonder whether anybody has anything to add. The poster JPMC hasn't been active here since 2018.

I'm chiefly curious about whether to wait for it to appear before watering, or whether to water gingerly when it gets good and warm.

I'm going to write John and ask how long it's been dormant, since it crossed the equator.

[Roberta]

After observing them at Andy's Orchids where they are kept sopping wet all year around (even when dormant)and outside. I now do the same. I got one from Louisiana Orchid Connection that started out blooming in January (July is normal where I live), then growing and not blooming, last year tried to bloom twice and did not quite make it and over almost 4 years seems to have finally mostly adapted - this is the first year where the new growth is pretty much in synch with the one that I have from Andy. Hoping for flowers this time. So... I conclude that this is a species where "dormant" does not mean "dry". So, I'd say pot it up in sphagnum, water it well, and let it do its thing whenever it wants, eventually it'll straighten out. But does not appear to suffer at all from being wet even when dormant.

[estación seca]

Thank you. I put the new arrivals to soak in rain/Kelpmax/sugar overnight, including this tuber. The plants are dessicated but I think they'll make it. The only one I'm worried about is Cymbidiella pardalina, which is not a plant that likes being bare-root and dry.

Edit: For those of you wondering, it was $25. Get on the LOC E-mail list to be notified of the next pre-order. I think it was late January this year.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Thank you. I put the new arrivals to soak in rain/Kelpmax/sugar overnight, including this tuber. The plants are dessicated but I think they'll make it. The only one I'm worried about is Cymbidiella pardalina, which is not a plant that likes being bare-root and dry.

For anything that has leaves, after the sugar water treatment, paint the underside of the leaves (like with at q-tip or paint brush) with an anti-transpirant (I got WiltStop, being the one that I could get for the least money, the the other options are concentrates much more expensive) Still have to buy a quart and use maybe a ml or two. This is from Mary Gerritsen's advice, that she sent with plants that she distributed from China. The approach definitely works. Amazon is quick...

[estación seca]

Thanks. It's just a leafless tuber.

Glad I looked at it before I went to the gym. In just an hour it plumped up dramatically, so I took it out of the water. It arrived looking like a sorry old withered thing and now it's plump and light tan. It looks like a miniature Dahlia tuber, thick fusiform roots joined at the growing point.

[Roberta]

Pot it up... Time to start coaxing it into Northern Hemisphere schedule. I hope yours adjusts faster than mine did. Mine I got in October, bloomed in January. Yours is much closer to the "right" time. Maybe only a month or so late relative to one that is established.

[estación seca]

I was pumped and wide awake after the gym so I did some reading (assisted by tequila.) I discovered the species is mostly from the central plateau, not from the wet east of the island.

Madagascar is south of the Equator so summer is roughly November to March. It's a 13-hour flight from Paris. It has a spine of high mountains running north to south very close to the east coast. East of these mountains it is constantly wet. West of these mountains rain is far less, almost only in summer, and decreasing from north to south. It is possible for cyclones to cross the island east to west at any time; when this happens a huge amount of rain falls in a few days. Much of the central plateau is very dry most of the year. It is wetter at higher elevations, and there are perennial streams in the mountainous areas. Originally the entire island was heavily forested. People arrived around 2,000 years ago; due to cutting of the forests in the west they are long gone, except for a few areas along streams where it's too steep to cut, or at high elevations. The capital Antananarivo (usually shortened to Tana) is in the central eastern plateau, not far from the eastern mountains, in a very dry area.

Here are some herbarium specimens and their notes, as listed on Tropicos.org, at the Missouri Botanical Garden. These are all easily available to the public so I'm not worried about publishing them. I omitted the coordinates. There are a lot more specimens listed than I have shown. Each specimen shown at Tropicos has a map with the exact locality.

Collector Marion F. Nicoll
Collection Number 327
Collection Date 15 January 1987
Location Madagascar, Fianarantsoa, Matsiatra Ambony (formerly Haute Matsiatra)
Elevation 2000 m
Herbaria MO
Locality Reserve Naturelle Integrale d'Andringitra. On trail from Antanifotsy to Pic Boby. High altitude meadow by mountain stream.

Collectors George E. Schatz
Collection Number 4112
Collection Date 17 February 2003
Location Madagascar, Antananarivo, Vakinankaratra
Elevation 1700 m
Herbaria MO
Description Herb growing on steep bank along stream with light brown tubers.
Locality Ibity Massif, anthropogenic grassland.

Collectors Tefy Andriamihajarivo
Collection Number 81
Collection Date 2 fevrier 2003
Location Madagascar, Antananarivo, Vakinankaratra
Elevation 1650 m
Herbaria MO
Locality Antsirabe, Ibity. Fok: Beapombo. Type de forêt: formation sclérophylle (bois de Tapia) ouverte avec des graminées. Station très rocailleuse.
[Type of forest: Hard leaf/sclerophyll, Tapia forest among grassland. Very rocky locality. This would be quite dry in winter.]

Collectors P. Antilahimena
Collection Number 2514
Collection Date 18 June 2004
Location Madagascar, Toamasina, Analanjirofo
Elevation 798 m
Herbaria MO
Description Epiphyte 3 m tall above the ground. Flowers pink purple.
Locality Fiv.: Maroantsetra. Comm.: Antsirabe Sahatany. Fok.: Anjiahely. Makira forest.
[This is in the wet eastern area, at middle elevation so warm to cool]

Collectors H. Humbert
Collection Number 25171
Collection Date 1951
Location Madagascar, Antsiranana
Elevation 2000-2200 m
Herbaria MO
Locality Montagnes au Nord de Mangindrano: sylve à lichens.
[Forest with lichens][This locality is just east of the high mountains, in the wet zone.]

Collectors * PETTERSSON
Collection Number 509
Collection Date 8 Feb 1992
Location Madagascar, Antananarivo, Analamanga
Elevation 1600 m
Herbaria P [Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris]
Locality Antananarivo Prov.: Manjakandriana Distr. SE of Nandihizana, Angavokely Forest Reserve Mt Angavobe. Granite inselberg, on rock.

Collectors Philippe Morat
Collection Number 4371
Collection Date Jan 1974
Location Madagascar, Toliara, Anosy
Elevation 1300 m
Herbaria P
Locality Massif de l'Andohahela R.N. 11, sur rochers humides vers 1300 m. d'altitude
[On wet rocks around 1300 meters in elevation]

Collectors Thomas B. Croat
Collection Number 29431
Collection Date 24 January 1975
Location Madagascar, Fianarantsoa
Elevation 1250 - 1350 m
Herbaria MO, P
Locality Deep rocky gorge on steep grade with remnant native forest, on route 7, 39 km N of Ambositra

Collectors H. Perrier de la Bâthie
Collection Number 17205
Collection Date Feb 1925
Location Madagascar, Toamasina, Atsinanana
Elevation 800 m
Herbaria P
Locality Environs du confluent de l'Onive et du Mangoro
[Around the confluence of the Onive and Mangoro Rivers. This is very near the east coast in a very wet and hot area with year-round high rainfall.]

Collectors A. Seyrig
[Anybody growing the succulent cucurbit Seyrigia?]
Collection Number 484
Collection Date Jan 1943
Location Madagascar, Toliara, Androy
Elevation 900 m
Herbaria P
Locality Ampandrandava
[This is in a very dry, low area that is hot in summer and warm in winter. The map shows the nearby streams are seasonal.]

Collectors H. Humbert
Collection Number 28761
Collection Date 02 February 1955 - 08 April 1955
Location Madagascar, Fianarantsoa, Ihorombe
Elevation 800 - 1250 m
Herbaria MO, P
Locality Pateaux et vallée de l'Isalo a l'ouest de Ranohira. Grès et sables siliceux.
[Plateau and valley of the Isalo mountain massif to the west of Ranohira. Sandstone and siliceous sands.]

Most of the localities are quite high in elevation, cool to cold in temperature all year, along streams, and would be wet all year. Some lower elevation localities have a very long and warm winter dry season and a hot wet summer, though summer rain is irregular. One locality is hot and wet all year.

[Roberta]

Great research - in lieu of sleep!

Of course no way of knowing which yours is... but the fact that it quickly plumped up when you soaked it tells me that it isn't one that wants to be dry. Tubers that need to be dry when dormant (like the Mediterranean ones) don't desiccate in shipment, even over a month or more.