Ionopsis utricularioides

[Bud]

This orchid specie is endemic to Florida all the way down to Brazil. I received this plant from a grower in Puerto Rico a year ago. This orchid has been seen growing in Guava trees, Crescentia, Randia, and in assorted citric trees; sometimes falling to the ground yet still survive. But if taken from its natural habitat this orchid plant will only survive a year tops in captivity. I grow this in cool to warm conditions with moderate to bright light in the south facing bay window. I water the plant right before the potting mix starts to dry just like my Tolumnias. In winter I water it every 10 days. This is potted in a well-draining medium= fresh spruce sawdust mixed with crushed clay bits and just a sprinkle of Dolomite stone powder. I inherited this mounted but decided to place it in a net pot due to my humidity issues inside my apartment. I feed it every other week with K-Lite fertilizer alternated with seaweed mix.
I read in an old Orchid Bulletin, that some growers have been able to keep this plant alive for years, even in the absence of a living host for the plant. Mine is a single spike with tiny half inch flowers. Hopefully it survives in my care (in its second year)since I think my plant came from seedling flasks. I have seen photos in the Internet of specimen plants with huge four inches flowers in several spikes; the most likely explanation for these = is that they are several wild collected plants potted together.