Id help - Orchid Board

DJR · #1 02-03-2010, 11:11 PM

Does anyone have pics of Cyclopogon cranichoides and Mesadenus lucayanus leaves or the whole plant. I am specifically looking for the leaf structure. I tried to send soem photos (I fixed the D90 software problem) but I guess the photo upload was to big. Need to learn the program a little more

Any help would be great

Don

flhiker · #2 02-03-2010, 11:45 PM

I don't have any picture of my own but I took some shots from my book Wild Orchids of Florida by Paul Martin Brown. with Drawing by Stan folsom
The first 2 are the Cyclopogon and the last are the Mesadenus
I highly recommend this book, it's helped me a lot.

DJR · #3 02-04-2010, 09:56 AM

Dave

Thanks for trying.

I have that book and viewed the photos but both species seem to have somewhat the same leaf structure and flower spike arrangement. Also if they grow in the shade they get the different leaf growths. I have tried the web looking for photos of the plant but all they show are the flower spikes ecept for one photo of the Cyclopgon plant. Didn't help. Both occur in the same habitat types and if this colony that I found yesterday is Mesadenus then this needs to be documented. Unfortunately the flowers on the spike appeared to be frozen from the freeze. None of the plants I found had the coppery coloration that Cyclopogon is supposed to have. This site is where I had previously seen the Cyclopogon with the coppery leaves. However all of the plants I found yesterday were of the green coloration.

I am frustrated!

I guess I will have to wait till they bloom again. That could be a long wait!

Maybe I should contact Mr. brown and see if he has some photos of the vegatative growth of each species.

Don

prem · #4 02-04-2010, 10:47 AM

Both species should be blooming within the next few months, so the wait won't be that long. I would surmise that either species would probably be sending up the beginnings of spikes now.

---Prem

DJR · #5 02-05-2010, 11:34 AM

Thanks Prem

I thought that Mesadenus bloomed from Dec to March (which of course is now) but it appears the ones I found were in bloom about a month ago which kinda points to Mesadenus. Cyclopogon blooms from February to May. So it could be one or the other and all the signs point to Mesadenus at this time.

Not only did the freeze hit the flowers but deer evidently like them as well as a few spikes were nipped off!

Now you know why I am frustrated.

Don

prem · #6 02-05-2010, 11:56 AM

A bit of a correction on what I stated earlier...

When I looked back over my photos, the Mesadenus I photographed near Crystal River was blooming in February, so we should be entering the height of their blooming season in the next few weeks.

If there are no spikes on yours now (or they were eaten), then you will probably have to wait until next year.

I definitely am hoping to catch Cyclopogon cranichoides in bloom this year.

---Prem

DJR · #7 02-05-2010, 08:34 PM

Prem

Well I am still hitting areas all over the county so I may find one or both in bloom in other similar areas. I will be heading (weather permitting) to the Cypress Creek area and then to the Richloam tract maybe next week to check those areas for early orchid species.

Hopefully I can catch both species in bloom.

I also have to go back to the Upper Hillsborough area as well as that area had a suspicious fern species I found that needs further identification and all these areas have similar habitat for Cyclopogon and Mesadenus.

Don