question: most floriferous
 

What is the most floriferous orchid, including both hybrids and species, that you are aware of? And by floriferous I mean a plant that is constantly producing new flowers, not a plant that produces flowers and then those flowers last a long time such that the plant always appears to have flowers on it. But instead, a plant that is producing new flowers and flower spikes at the highest frequency and quantity and preferably in an ever-blooming fashion without rest. So the plant can have short lived flowers, but continuously making new ones. Which orchid is like this in the most prolific fashion?

In my opinion, phalaenopsis hybrid. The flower stem is always blooming (I had one plant that last 14 months bloomed) and can produce other stems in the while. If you want some less common and less floriferous I can advice Coelogyne usitana and Psychopsis: not so much flowers, but everlasting stem producing flowers.
I've seen all other orchids have a specific blooming season, maybe long, but season. Not this 3 kinds.

There's more than one way to skin a cat. Each flower of some Dendrobium species can last 6 months or more.

Epidendrum ellipticum. This is a small reedstem species. I grew my first one from a NBS seedling. 2 years old it carried flowers for 6-8 months; 3.1/2 years old it was in continuous bloom year round (in a 3" clay pot).

Lots of Phragmipediums fall into this general realm of constraints. Like most, if not all other examples, it's reliant on having a relative large, healthy, and mature plant, and in many cases, a plant with enough growths, grown in proper conditions and with proper care, etc for it to be a reality.

Since most are also sequential bloomers, even though the individual flowers are relatively short lived, it means that an individual spike can bloom for many months. Some of the most exceptional species and hybrids can bloom sequentially from the same spike for the better part of a year or more. And since it typically takes much less than a year for the growths to develop and mature, many Phrags are fast growing by orchid standards, it means the plants eventually become ever blooming.

Phragmipedium longifolium is a good example species. Phragmipedium Sorcerer's Apprentice is a particularly floriferous hybrid. These produce long lived spikes. In the case of Sorcerer's Apprentice, the spike can be branched, meaning more flowers are open at a time.

Even some of the smaller growing species and hybrids (with non-green flowers) can grow to become ever blooming or near ever blooming. Individual spikes may only last a few months, but they grow so quickly and produce so many growths that they nearly always have blooms. For example. I have a Phrag. Pink Panther that's quite a prolific bloomer in this manner. The caveat is that I have to cut the spikes off after all the flowers drop because it's self pollinating and if it develops seed pods it inhibits blooming.

I think I need to clarify a bit concerning what I was asking for. I wanted a plant that is continuously making new spikes, the spikes grow as quick as possible, then the flower comes and lasts only a very short time, and then the entire spike dies and doesn't flower from the same spike again. And new spikes are continuously cropping up. So plants that keep flowering from the same spike or that have long lasting flowers on the same spike don't qualify.

Haraella odorata.

We have Sc. Crystelle Smith ‘Aileen’ that is a large plant and has been in perpetual bloom for the last two years. At times of the year it is covered in blooms and other times it has only a few blooms. Now it is large enough to have new growths starting and older growths matureing and blooming at the same time. But there has been aleast one bloom on it for the past 24 months or longer.

Marigolds ? ; -D (oh, April first was yesterday)
I think the plant you choose with those characteristics has to be in exactly the correct conditions to be able to deliver what you demand of it. I have (or had) some of the plants listed above. I obviously have conditions too cold for Phals, and cute Harella (gone) Phrag longifolium hybrid I have grows well enough, but some condition (too cold?) does not exist here to allow it to flower much - winter too long with little sun in New England maybe?
I have a Crystelle Smith, which does OK, but again, it is not in constant bloom. You will have to keep trying various plant selections and manipulating all conditions to keep that plant optimally happy.
Best of luck in your search!
Maryanne

Please tell me about these Dendrobium :drool: