Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' in bloom

Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' in bloom

     Orchids of the "Psychopsis" genus are aptly called the "Butterfly Orchids."  They bloom with large singular flowers on tall arching stems, which really do look like some exotic insect in flight.  

Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos'

     I posted about my Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' forming a bud back in early December. The orchid was in spike when I purchased it last June, meaning that the flower spike took over 7 months to mature.  Fortunately, these orchids are known to reflower off the same spike for many years, so the subsequent waits should not be this long.

     The flower opened about two weeks ago, and is still going strong.  The bloom is 5 inches tall and 4 inches wide--a little less than the 6" I've seen reported elsewhere online.  The flower is colored orange on yellow.  I was expecting a redder orange, as seen in photo here.  There does seem to be variation in the depth of the color, which may be caused by differences in growing conditions. I did not notice any scent.

Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos'

     One outstanding feature of the bloom is that the flower is very three-dimensional.  The petals flex backwards, and the 'skirt' curls into a circle, creating a challenge for a would-be-photographer. None of these pictures look quite right if I were to compare them against the original, and I think the problem lies with the fact that the photos flatten the flower.

     I also really liked the many textures on the flower.  The lip is shiny like hard plastic.  The skirt has an iridescent quality to it.  Meanwhile the two lateral petals have a more velvety texture.  All around, a very interesting flower!

New roots on Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos'

Surprisingly, the orchid itself has thrived during the 3 weeks I was away.  Its pot was on the bottom of the terrarium, submerged in about 2 inches of water, which created a constant source of moisture for the orchid via capillary action.  I think semihydroponic culture is based on a similar premise.  The media was moist when I came back home, and I found many fresh green roots growing throughout the pot.  This makes a great improvement over the root rot last October.

Some more photos just for fun:

Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' lip closeup

Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' skirt closeup

Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' head on view