Catasetum expansum
 

Two color forms (heck, both are delightful!).
Pure yellow/green is Ctsm. expansum 'Los Tres Pasas.' The mottled one, with somewhat larger flowers, is simply expansum, no clonal name.
Scent is a heady combination of spearmint, mothball, floor wax, grapefruit and maybe cheddar. Sweet!

Beautiful flowers, I love catasetums, but they don't love me back.

Awesome! Mine's all whacko right now, its sending out a new growth (I think). Ill have to show it pics of your expansums!

Gorgeous, Nancy!! Nice work. I dunno about that perfume, tho...

Beautiful, Nancy. Would you mind posting a picture of the entire plant, please?

Steve

Very Cool Nancy, thanks for sharing your pics. :)
I'm new to growing Catasetinae and don't yet have this species in my collection. I do have a small Ctsm. denticulatum that is putting out its first blooms now. I'll take a pic of it when it’s completely open and post it then...maybe in a day or two. :D

Beautiful expansum pix! My larger catasetums have already bloomed and I'm waiting for my seedlings to reach blooming size. I have ten seedlings from Sunset Valley Orchids, and a few others from a couple other sources. I'm hoping at least some of them will have first spikes later this year. We shall see.....

:photo: ??

:biggrin:

I suspect that if you want to grow catasetinae, you're better off with a "mess" of them, not just a few. Pretty easy and worthwhile to gather them all together for the winter rest...but if you have to segregate just one or two, it's too easy to water by accident when you're hosing down everything else.
That's my rationalization, and I'm sticking to it!
Regards - Nancy

Nancy, I have to agree with your rationale. It sounds perfect to me! Now, I just have to convince the MR. Or maybe I can just start sneaking them in.... It is very hard to give a rest to the one I had, but luckily I was very lazy/busy this winter and gave most of them a rest. Not enough of a rest for my Den. Nobile, but I guess enough for it. Thanks for the tip! ;)

Nancy, I love the colouring of the Los Tres Pasas! I have pseudobulbs for a species expansum but they refuse to put out a decent growth though they appear green and healthy enough, though a bit shrivelled. I have them in a plastic bag at the moment with a bit of moss and there is a 1/2 inch root and a "nubbin" but they don't seem to be growing any larger. Any hints??

:)

Hi Shirley - our zones are pretty different; Catasetum growth is well advanced here by now, and a few plants have even lost some foliage already...but, I do not de-pot (or un-mount) in dormancy, and keep divided pseudobulbs bare-root until the new growths are pretty advanced, and root growth is 4" or so. Sphagnum moss = ~satan~. Our humidity is high, so 'misting' (whatever that is!) is not an issue, either.
If it were me, I'd keep the bare pseudobulbs in a dry, bright place until there is enough visible growth to pot it up. Sphag/bag has never worked for me, and catasetums don't respond too well to moisture during dormancy.
My .02! Nancy

Hi Nancy, Thanks very much for your suggestions. I'll take it out of the bag and try leaving it absolutely dry. I'm also wondering if it hasn't been receiving enough light. I have a sad feeling that it's completely stalled but will keep fingers crossed!

:)