Platystele stenostycha in fruit

[Tindomul]

Hi all, I have this Platystele stenostycha which is always in bloom. But today I was looking and wondering if I had any seed pods forming. And I did!
Attached is a photo of the entire plant in full bloom, close up of the tiny flowers that measure .1cm - .15cm in width, and the seed pod/fruit. What do I do with the seed pod? Should I allow it to burst and see if the seeds will grow in my terrarium? Or should I collect the seeds to sow them, and if so, when do I do that. Not even sure how long the seed pod has been around for.

So you are probably wondering how this tiny flower got fertilized. It was probably the fruit flies that I throw in there to feed my poison dart frogs that live with the orchid. Unless ofcourse I have a frog that is into gardening, .
Thanks for all and any advice and comments.

[cb977]

Sorry Tin, I have no advice for you but...

Way cool!!!

[Tindomul]

Thanks Sue.

[sucuz]

No advice, but if you can't make up your mind what to do, you can always default to letting nature take its course in the terrarium and see what happens. Might be interesting.

Just give that little 'gardening frog' a poke and tell him to get to tending those little plants!

PS - just love those little tiny blooms. This plant just constantly keeps reblooming. Every time that you think it is ready to take a rest, it starts up again. Wonderful.

[Tindomul]

Thanks Sucuz, do you have this plant as well?

[Royal]

Tindo, I'd just let it mature on it's own and try to harvest some seed. You can save some and sprinkle the rest in the terrarium or onto the existing mount. If nothing comes up then you have some extra already dry and in your fridge.

[nancy]

Hey, very nice close-up photos - you have a steady hand!
My Ps grows outside most of the time, and I've seen those circular swarms of tiny gnats cycloning around the plant. There must be a scent I can't detect.
Seeds are weird, and I've never tried to grow from seed, but have found, this year, hundreds of tiny (now about 1/2") seedlings all over the mount of my B. nodosa - like a groundcover for the mother plant. Never saw a pod on it...also have seedlings on whatever-it's-now-called ?Panisea? cochleata; also found a good-sized seedling when I repotted a C. Victory.
The mystery - are any/all of these the same as the plant they've grown in/on? Beats me.
The oldest orchid book I have, I think, is the earliest addition of Rebecca Northen's Home Orchid Growing, and she recommends sprinkling the seed onto the potting medium of the 'mother' - as good an idea as any if you don't have a lab/are anal/and crazy.
As small as stenoctachya is, the seedlings would be something to see - if you could see 'em!
Regards - Nancy

[Tindomul]

Thanks Nancy, this one is on a mount, so I don't know how the seeds will find a place to stay, but I will see if I can throw them into my orchidarium which has lots of orchid roots all over, hopefully some of that beneficial fungus is around in that tank for the seeds to grow with.

[nancy]

Well, two of my plants "with seedlings" are on mounts, so there must be a way for them to do it.
In the wild, where do the seeds get the ?mycorhyzia? whatever the fungus is called?
Though, Pths tribuloides is always full of seed pods; I pluck them and tuck them under the root mass...and in maybe 5-6 years of this, nary a sprout. Must be the lack of fungus!
A little tank with fuzzy Platystele all over it would be pretty cute (if you could see them).

[dgenovese1]

Hey Tindomul,

I don't know anything about Platystele stenostycha, but I do think that your plant looks very healthy...and the tiny blooms all over it...not to mention the seed pod...are very cool! Well done!