saw this in classifieds
 

excuse my ignorance, saw this in the classified section and wondered what kind of orchid is this? i fell in love with it, asked the owner of the ad and havent heard back i am sure they are busy but the curiosity is killing me, again forgive my ignorance i am a newbie........lol...........t
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...angeorchid.jpg

Habenaria medusa

thanks kip!!
 

thank you for the answer.......now to learn about them...............t

Habenaria medusa (aka Habenaria myriotricha).

They're terrestrial orchids.

They come from Thailand through Indonesia.

They grow from potato-like tuberoids that form from roots. As a result of this growth habit, from a horticultural standpoint, they must be handled with care due to them being softer than a tuberoid that is formed from stems and are therefore very susceptible to damage, which will ultimately result in increasing the probability of having the lesion, bruise, or cut lead to infection should they be mishandled. The tuberoids can dehydrate easily if they are not properly tended to during dormancy. The tuberoids are extremely susceptible to rot if they are over watered. The relatively soft potato-like tuberoids are also the favorite food of a host of insects such as fungus gnats (both adults and larvae - of which the larvae are much more destructive), and other insects - including ants.

If you mistreat the plant too often when it is in growing season, the subsequent tuberoids will have no trouble getting smaller and smaller over time, until it gives up and dies.

They have a distinct growing season from spring through summer.

They bloom during fall.

They go completely deciduous and dormant during winter.

They despise being disturbed (as in taking them out of the pot) when they have developed roots. There is a high probability that they will die as a result of being disturbed during active growth. If you got to do any repotting, it should be done during dormancy.

Damage too many roots and the probability of them growing a strong new tuberoid is rather slim.

According to my personal experience with a few species in the genus Habenaria, in general, my understanding is that each shoot does not produce a lot of roots.

Each tuberoid produces only one shoot at it's apex - that's it.

During dormancy there is only one dormant "eye" positioned at the apex of the dormant tuberoid. Rot that out, and it's gone. To my knowledge there are no other dormant "eyes" on the tuberoid that will take the place of the rotten dormant "eye" at the apex.

According to my observations of a few plants in the genus Habenaria, they only produce roots from the base of the shoot, not from the tuberoid itself.

Bright shade to moderate indirect sun.

Intermediate to warm (60 F - 95 F).

Do not store dormant tubers in the fridge - they will die! This is a tropical species.

Moderate to high humidity (50% - 80%)

This particular species appear to come from soils with loose sand and dry scrub.

In my opinion, this is not the best terrestrial orchid species to start with. There are so many more colorful and interesting species to start off growing first.

If you've never grown any terrestrial orchids before, try growing Bletilla spp. or Bletia spp, maybe even Spathoglottis spp first.

I don't mean anything by singling this out, but I didn't catch it until I re-read the original post a couple times.

If you really are a complete newbie to orchid growing, this is definitely not the first terrestrial orchid for you.

Here is a good culture sheet from Kew to add to what King said

http://culturesheet.org/orchidaceae:habenaria:medusa

thanks for the info
 

guess i better set my sites a little lower LOL.........will look at some of the others as suggested by king..............t

These orchids are also quite expensive

This photo was taken two weeks before the plant in the photo was given the only AM/AOS award ever given to this species. It also was given a HCC/AOS the same day. Tubers from this plant are being offered at $200. Divisons carry the AM award to the division but not the HCC award.

http://orchidsamore.com/photo_galler...edusa_1716.jpg

Habenaria medusa 'Orchid Specialist' AM/AOS, HCC/AOS

The plant was about 2 feet height and 2 feet wide.

This plant has only been top dressed for over 5 years. It does not get watered during dormancy although the South African Botanical Society recommends watering once a month which is what I do with young ones I an growing. Apparently the plant is also native to South African.

It is certainly not a beginners plant.