Dryadella hirtzii flower has opened!

[shakkai]

Mahon... oh, dear!! It came to me as Dryadella hirztii - are you saying that the Dryadella photos at IOSPE are not completely accurate?

Looking at Pleurothallids.com, mine does look very similar to the one shown for Dryadella hirtzii. Except the leaves of mine are reddish purple towards the base - but I guess that could be due to light levels??

[cb977]

Dryadella simula

Dryadella hirtzii

Maybe these pics will help you

[shakkai]

Thanks, Sue! I've been looking, but still haven't come to any conclusion... I think I can't rely on the spotting to tell the difference, its got to be something else as the spotting appears to be quite variable within the species, let alone amongst different species!

Maybe I'll just have to try to grow them all and see what differences there are!!

[cb977]

Maybe I'll just have to try to grow them all and see what differences there are!!

Sounds like you've come up with the solution

[niller-find]

What a cutie this one turned out be!!!

[shakkai]

Thanks, Niels! It looks like baby leopard spots.

[Mahon]

Originally Posted by shakkai

Mahon... oh, dear!! It came to me as Dryadella hirztii - are you saying that the Dryadella photos at IOSPE are not completely accurate?

No, not saying that at all. There is a wide range of variability in Dryadella, but I find that the key features to look for include sepal shape and structure, coloration (general patterns), and lip shape. Of course, in some species, there are leaf differences, in which some have coloration on the vein or a slight texture.

Originally Posted by shakkai

Looking at Pleurothallids.com, mine does look very similar to the one shown for Dryadella hirtzii. Except the leaves of mine are reddish purple towards the base - but I guess that could be due to light levels??

Red coloration due to light levels usually affects the entire leaf, not just a small area.

Also, in Dry. hirtzii, the ramicaul does not overlap where the leaf starts. In your plant, the ramicaul looks to cover where the leaf starts, which is found in Dry. simula.

As for Dry. dodsonii, this is a fairly rare species, and I know of only one source.

-Pat

[shakkai]

Thanks Pat! Yes, though I'm not sure it is the ramicaul - I thought it was the 'thin, loose tubular sheaths' that come up quite high (relatively) on the leaf, and through which the flower arises. Some, not all, of the bottoms of the leaves are definitely reddish-purple on mine. The upper parts of the leaves are green.

I question Dryadella simula, though, as it states that it has a "few [3 to 4] flowered inflorescence" - which isn't the case with mine based on the old flowering stalks.

I wonder how accurate the flower season is? Dryadella simula is spring flowering, Dryadella hirztii is autumn flowering, and Dryadella dodsonii is summer flowering....

From the photos I've looked at, what appears to me to be the stigma (the little thing that sticks out just above the lip) is yellow on simula, and red on hirtzii - maybe that is one way I can tell them apart?

I'll check on it in the morning, its time for bed now...

[Mahon]

Originally Posted by shakkai

Thanks Pat! Yes, though I'm not sure it is the ramicaul - I thought it was the 'thin, loose tubular sheaths' that come up quite high (relatively) on the leaf, and through which the flower arises. Some, not all, of the bottoms of the leaves are definitely reddish-purple on mine. The upper parts of the leaves are green.

I question Dryadella simula, though, as it states that it has a "few [3 to 4] flowered inflorescence" - which isn't the case with mine based on the old flowering stalks.

I wonder how accurate the flower season is? Dryadella simula is spring flowering, Dryadella hirztii is autumn flowering, and Dryadella dodsonii is summer flowering....

From the photos I've looked at, what appears to me to be the stigma (the little thing that sticks out just above the lip) is yellow on simula, and red on hirtzii - maybe that is one way I can tell them apart?

I'll check on it in the morning, its time for bed now...

Yes, the tubular sheaths are referred to as 'ramicauls', which are unique ONLY to Pleurothallids.

I wouldn't regard the flowering season as being accurate, unless the plants were in situ. I've had some species of Dracula bloom year-round, yet are supposed to only bloom in late spring. It all depends on conditions and maturity. The amount of flowers that arise from a single growth also varies due to conditions.

The column color isn't as important of a determiner, but it definitely helps! Another that comes to mind is petal shape. In Pleurothallids, the real determiner of species is basic floral morphology. There is DNA work being done on many genera and species, but in Pleurothallids, it seems that morphology is much stronger.

-Pat

[Helen]

Wow! unbelievably adorable....