need help with ID this orchid please
 

I bought this orchid like 6 years ago and it has not bloomed since..forgot what it was!! I am attaching photo and if someone could ID it for me, I would be grateful!!

thanks , dave hurd

We need pics of the entire plant to confirm an ID. However, when orchids fail to bloom, it is because they are not getting something they need.

Are you fertilizing?
What's your watering schedule like?
How much light does this orchid get?

Good luck getting an id AND getting it to bloom again. The flowers are gorgeous!

Looks a lot like Encyclia prismatocarpa or whatever genus it's in now (Panarica? Prosthechea?). Very nice!

I think all orchids need a winter rest, cut off from nitrogen fertilizer, and also chilling to bloom. Maybe these are different. If they bloom in summer, I would not know what to do.
. I left my beallaria and my odontonia out all october and some of november until it started to get dangerously cold. They were growing spikes Nov to late Dec. They bloomed late december to jan. The odontonia gave up, but it is now june 1, and the beallara still has good blooms after three sequential spikes and she is outside again. So, I think maybe you should read around and find what the yearly growth cycle is for your plant. Basically all orchids have a growth phase in which they put out leaves, bulbs and roots. The fertilizer should be with nitrogen. They need the highest sun they can take without damage, water to create storage food for baby bulbs, air movement to keep them cool and dry their roots, more humidity. The next phase is chilling, and for some plants like dendrobium nobile, a form of hibernation. Then inflorescence. The plants now want to reproduce. When the buds are present the humidity still needs to be a bit higher. Light levels are lowered a bit for buds and flowers. Potassium is used for for fertilizer, and since the roots
should have stopped growing, a bit less water. In our world this is also winter. During the winter water less and make sure your pots are well drained. This is a root rotting time. By spring most of the flowers are gone and spikes cut. When you see signs of growth, you start to water, feed and so on for the growth phase all over again.

So those are the basics of how flowers come about.
Each plant has specific instructions. Some want to dry out, some like to remain damp, some like more sun, less sun, etc. But they all have a cycle they go through every year. First they gather strength, eat, create carbohydrates, and grow. Then they stop growing and have flowers. Then they sleep a while and start to eat again. I think the best orchid growers are totally in sync with their plants.it is a learnable skill, and if you stick with this bunch at orchidboard, you will learn what you need to know.

Agree!

thanks very much, I will check Encyclia prismatocarpa.

---------- Post added at 02:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:01 PM ----------

don't know why you would need picture of entire plant when the blooms are sooo distinctive! Another senior member: gnathaniel... was SPOT ON, with his ID...it
is Encyclia prismatocarpa..yay! I just typed in his suggestion and searched "images" ... Thats her!

You're welcome! Glad to be of some assistance. The blooms on this species are pretty distinctive if you've seen them before, but in general it is a good idea to include vegetation shots when looking for an ID as it helps narrow things down much faster.