Wild Orchids in the Amazon

[nogreenthumbs]

A few years ago, I spent 2 weeks on a boat in the Amazon just after the end of the rainy season when the water was high. I didn't see many blooming orchids, but I saw many, many epiphytes (lots of bromeliads).

These are some of the orchids and epiphytes that I saw.

[Bulbopedilum]

Woah nice!!! What oncidium is that?

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by Bulbopedilum

Woah nice!!! What oncidium is that?

Your guess is probably much better than mine which really isn't saying anything. That was 3 years ago and most of the group was looking at/for birds. These were just random plants that I saw scattered around the Amazon over 2 weeks between Manaus and Santarem.

[charlesf6]

Very interesting. thanks!

[will1986]

I've also been to Manaus and Santarem! It's beautiful there, and I also saw lots of plants I suspected were orchids, though none of them were blooming at the time.

[Bohata]

Always interesting to see these in the wild. I wonder if the next to last one might be a Catasetum or a close relative.

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by will1986

I've also been to Manaus and Santarem! It's beautiful there, and I also saw lots of plants I suspected were orchids, though none of them were blooming at the time.

I was there the middle two weeks in July. I was told that most of the orchids would be finished blooming, having bloomed recently. I was very excited to find the few that I did, but it's hard to say if I saw others because there were so many epiphytic plants that could have been orchids. There were tons and tons of bromeliads growing high in the trees.

Over the 2 weeks I took about 7500 photos. I managed to trim those down to about 1500 that were either good or at least managed to capture something interesting.

I was so excited to catch a couple of plants blooming.

---------- Post added at 06:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:43 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Bohata

Always interesting to see these in the wild. I wonder if the next to last one might be a Catasetum or a close relative.

I don't know. Maybe, the only thing that might make me doubt it is that I've read that catasetums require a lengthy dry season where there is absolutely no rain at all, and while that area does have a wet season and a dry season, they should really be called "mildly wet season" and "almost impossibly wet season".

[estación seca]

Wow, thanks! There is a Totally Off Topic forum here where you can post the other photos!

[Bohata]

Here is a Catasetum that doesn't always require a "lengthy dry season."
Catasetum pileatum
Check out the last paragraph. There may be others.
Of course, we could be sure whether it was a Catasetum or not only if it had open flowers on it.
Note also the mention of Catasetum here:
Orchid News # 19

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Wow, thanks! There is a Totally Off Topic forum here where you can post the other photos!

done - here

---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:15 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Bohata

Here is a Catasetum that doesn't always require a "lengthy dry season."
Catasetum pileatum
Check out the last paragraph. There may be others.
Of course, we could be sure whether it was a Catasetum or not only if it had open flowers on it.
Note also the mention of Catasetum here:
Orchid News # 19

Of course, that makes sense. Orchids seem to be nothing but a large collection of exceptions to every rule.