Neobenthamia gracilis - Orchid Board

voyager · #1 12-28-2016, 08:21 PM

When I picked this one up, it was a long stretched out leggy plant.
I had to separate it out of a mass of similarly growing plants.
It was the only one in bloom.
I broke the flower tassle off while walking around the greenhoue.
It has finally bloomed for me after taking 2 years to do so.
Online research indicated that it might take that long.
I am now seeing why I picked it out.

Neobenthamia gracilis

I planted every one of the many keikis that had formed along the stem of the parent plant.
It has a much healthier look to it than the parent plant did.
They say that after it blooms out, if you leave the old flower head on the stem, it will form many keikis along that stem.

I'm hoping that the two other growths about the size of the one in bloom will also bloom soon.

I had read that this one has a fragrance like blueberries.
Not for me.
I think of the flavor of a candy when I stick my nose into it.
Which candy?
I don't know now.

jkofferdahl · #2 12-28-2016, 08:40 PM

What a lovely plant and beautiful flower! Congratulations.

voyager · #3 12-29-2016, 05:29 AM

This one has fascinated me since I first laid eyes on one.
The flower head reminds me of an Alaskan wildflower, Capitate Valarian.
They are the only plants I remember ever seeing that bloom in a white ball on the top of their stem.

The IOSPE ID's it as:
TRIBE: Epidendreae

SUBTRIBE: Adrorhizinae

Everyone else seems to ID it as:
TRIBE: Vandeae

SUBTRIBE: Polystachyinae

After looking at pics of the Polystachya species on the IOSPE, my very uneducated, wild stab in the dark guess is that it probably is closely allied to the Polystachyas.

If it hadn't reminded me of the Valarian, I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.
Which illustrates my general lack of interest in orchids with small singular flowers.

Fernando · #4 12-30-2016, 05:50 AM

Lovely flowers! Thanks for sharing! Wish a happy new year!

MrHappyRotter · #5 12-30-2016, 12:53 PM

Mine is very leggy and probably 8 - 10 feet tall, but then I can only grow it outdoors in partial sun for about 6 - 7 months a year, and the rest of the year it has to deal with being indoors in heavy shade. It only flowers sporadically for me. I agree, the flowers are not fruity at all, but more like vanilla or butter cream -- candy/confection for sure.

I love the way yours is growing and it looks so super healthy, I feel bad for my straggly, ugly plant.