Trichopilia suavis
I woke up this morning on Christmas Eve day 2017 to the gorgeous and sophisticated fragrance of this wonderful Oncidium alliance plant that I purchased on Christmas Eve day 2016 from Carter and Holmes orchids in South Carolina USA. This is quite literally one of the most, if not the most, fragrant orchid I grow. It's a complex musky perfumy scent that's strongest in the morning, but noticeable day and night. It reminds me of Cattleya loddigesii or the similar fragrance of wild Passiflora incarnata (Maypop Passion Flower) with a hint of hyacinths. The plant is in my grow room, but it's just so fragrant it has filled the other rooms upstairs. Judging by the fragrance and the flower appearance, the flowers give me the impression that they're trying to mimic those of a Cattleya or similar genus. Perhaps they have the same pollinators in the wild?
A couple of months ago I noticed that the plant was putting out a new growth for me and seemed to be quite happy. At first the new growth moved very slowly, and then a few weeks ago, it suddenly began to grow at lightning pace (for an orchid) and it puffed up and elongated, revealing that this new growth was, in fact, a flower spike! I was not expecting this to bloom any time soon, as this is not, to my knowledge, a small growing Trichopilia and this plant is still quite small, in a 4in/10cm pot. The 4 flowers are about 4in/10cm in width and height! Very large for the size of the plant. There was a fifth bud (the first on the spike) that didn't open.
I grow this plant on one of my shadier shelves, under a single 2-bulb 4 foot T-8 fluorescent shop light alongside some mini-phals and slipper seedlings. It did not seem to be affected by warm summer growing temperatures in my collection, and given that Carter and Holmes is even further south (and warmer), I'm guessing this species is a lot more warmth tolerant than a lot of sources give it credit. I have come to grow this species the way I grow my Phrags and some of my Miltonias -- sitting in a saucer of water at all times and not allowed to dry out more than a day or two. The roots (not pictured) have grown into an extensive mass and appear to be quite happy with this arrangement. I use mostly rain/ro water, and feed lightly but regularly.
Enough words ...
Needless to say, if you're into fragrant orchids, it's hard to go wrong with Trichopilia suavis. I'm definitely going to have to look into some other members of this genus. I already know I want to get my hands on the more diminuative T. tortilis.
Trichopilia suavis
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