Oberonia ssp

[tropterrarium]

Subrosa: no, not O. longirepens. Andy does have that species from the Philippines, and I IDed it. His "oligotricha" is quite different.

[katrina]

Tropt is the oberonia expert so I leave the ID comments to him. I just know I like these guys because they are so different...even from each other. I also have setigera and when the 2 plants aren't in flower...you'd never know they were both oberonia. Both have "dangly" spikes w/teeny tiny flowers but everything else about the appearance is different.

BTW - setigera is an easier one to grow so it's a good one to start with. I think it's also easier to find. ??

Thanks for the wonderful comments everyone!!

[tropterrarium]

Oberonia setigera is one of the most common species in the trade, but sometimes "setigera" is actually O. rufilabris. Another Oberonia species with Lockhartia-vegetative-look is O. lycopodioides (= O. anceps, occasionally sold as O. "brachystachys").

Synapomorphies of Oberonia are opposite and equitant (overlapping at base) leaves, many minute (1–4 mm) flowers in long terminal spike, very short column, lateral petals equal but different from lip, sepals usually subequal, but not necessarily the same as the lateral petals, 4 reniform to lacrimiform pollinia, 2 pollinia forming one pollinarium, usually pollinia in each pollinarium of unequal size.

Often you will find Oberonia distinguished from Hippeophyllum by the latter having a creeping rhizome, but that is actually incorrect (e.g., O. longirepens). Hippeophyllum has a much longer column. Whether Hippeophyllum and Oberonia are reciprocally monophyletic remains to be demonstrated.

[katrina]

Daniel - I didn't realize the setigera was also often mis-ID'd. Bummer!

Hopefully mine is correct. When it blooms I'll be sure and post pics and please let me know what you think.

I got it from Erich Michael several years ago and if I'm not mistaken he actually propagated them himself (from pollination to baby plants) so I'm fairly certain the ID is correct...but I'd still like to know what you think. Be watching for my post. Of course, as slow as I am about getting pics up...it could be awhile.

Thanks for the great comments, everyone.

[tropterrarium]

Oberonia setigera has often red margins of the leaves, or the leaves can turn pale red all over, the leaves are quite stiff and about >2 mm thick. The inflorescence has long floral bracts (hence, the name), and those are more or less the same length all over the inflorescence. If you look at the flower with a loupe, it looks like my avatar.

Oberonia rufilabris lacks the red margin of the leaves, leaves are pliable and < 1 mm thin, inflorescences has long floral bracts at base of inflorescence, much shorter ones towards the tip of the inflorescence. The lip is bifurcated at the tip and has on each side one very thin lateral lobe, not the multiple serrations as in O. setigera.

The difference in floral bract length can even be seen in old, completely dried up inflorescences, or in inflorescences still in bud.

Today at POE I saw some O. rufilabris mislabeled as O. anthropophora. The plant was in spike/bud, but with the length of the floral bracts it was an easy ID.

[katrina]

Hmmmm....mine has a very, very thin red edge on most of the leaves but my leaves aren't super stiff. Not flexible but not super rigid. I'll have to measure the leaves.

When it's in bloom I'll post and let you be the judge. Stay tuned.

[tropterrarium]

Red margins sure sounds like setigera. Leaves are not Laelia/Cattleya-stiff, but if you hold the plant horizontal, one way or the others, the leaves don't bend downwards.

[katrina]

No bending unless I fold it! Sounds like I have a setigera. YAY!

Thanks, Daniel