4 New Orchid Species Discovered in June

June has been a great month for new orchid species discoveries.  Check out these cool new flowers!

Odontochilus putaoensis

This terrestrial orchid was discovered in northern Myanmar by a group of botanists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The orchid has greenish-brown flowers that are about 1cm across.

Odontochilus putaoensis

Image credit: Aung et al, Phytokeys 2018

Odontochilus putaoensis closeup

Image credit: Aung et al, Phytokeys 2018

• Authors: Ye Lwin Aung, Aye Thin Mu, Xiaohua Lin
• Published in: Phytokeys, 2018
• Odontochilus putaoensis (Cranichideae, Orchidaceae), a new species from Myanmar

Pleurothallis hawkingii 

This is a epiphytic orchid from Costa Rica blooms with pale yellow to white flowers, which sometimes have a distinctive purplish hue. It was described by a pair of botanists from the Universidad de Costa Rica.

Pleurothallis hawkingii

Image credit: Adam Karremans and Jose Esteban Jimenez Phytotaxa 2018

Pleurothallis hawkingii

Image credit: Adam Karremans and Jose Esteban Jimenez, Phytotaxa 2018

Pleurothallis hawkingii purple variant

Image credit: Adam Karremans and Jose Esteban Jimenez, Phytotaxa 2018

• Authors: Adam Karremans and Jose Esteban Jimenez
• Published in: Phytotaxa, 2018
• Pleurothallis hawkingii and Pleurothallis vide-vallis (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae), two new species from Cordillera de Guanacaste in Costa Rica

Pleurothallis vide-vallis

Another Costa Rican Pleurothallis species described in the same paper as P. hawkingii, Pleurothallis vide-vallis is a small epiphytic species that blooms with yellow flowers that have ranging degrees of pink hues.

Pleurothallis vide-vallis

Image credit: Adam Karremans and Jose Esteban Jimenez, Phytotaxa 2018

Pleurothallis vide-vallis closeups of yellow and purple variants

Image credit: Adam Karremans and Jose Esteban Jimenez, Phytotaxa 2018

• Authors: Adam Karremans and Jose Esteban Jimenez
• Published in: Phytotaxa, 2018
• Pleurothallis hawkingii and Pleurothallis vide-vallis (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae), two new species from Cordillera de Guanacaste in Costa Rica

Gastrodia kachinensis

Gastrodia are a genus of parasitic orchids, which grow primarily underground.  They have no leaves, do not photosynthesize, and instead feed on the fungi that grow around their roots. Gastrodia kachinensis is a new species discovered in Myanmar by a pair of botanists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Left: A Gastrodia kachinensis inflorescencees, barely visible against the forest floor.  Right: closeup of G. kachinensis

Image credit: Ye Lwin Aung and Xiao-hua Jin, Phytokeys 2018

• Authors: Ye Lwin Aung and Xiao-hua Jin
• Published in: Phytokeys, 2018
• Gastrodia kachinensis (Orchidaceae), a new species from Myanmar

Phalaenopsis Gold Tris 'Desk Pot' keiki in full bloom

Phalaenopsis Gold Tris 'Desk Pot' 

About 3 months after I first noticed the start of a spike, my little Phal Gold Tris Keiki is in full bloom!  The flower spike is bigger than the orchid itself, with 4 full-sized yellow flowers. Of course, the mother plant produces larger numbers of flowers and multiple spikes, but this is still one precocious bloomer!

Closeup of Phalaenopsis Gold Tris 'Desk Pot'

The color is less saturated than usual, most likely due to the very warm weather of the last month.

Coelogyne victoria-reginae: new orchid species discovered in Myanmar

Coelogyne victoria-reginae

Image credit: Zhou et al. PhyotKeys 2018 (https://phytokeys.pensoft.net/article/23298/)

A group of botanists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with HponkanRazi Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar and the Forest Department Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry in China have described a new species of Coelogyne which grows in the Nat Ma Taung (Mt.Victoria) National Park.

Coelogyne victoria-reginae

Image credit: Zhou et al. PhytoKeys 2018 (https://phytokeys.pensoft.net/article/23298/)

This epiphytic orchid produces brownish-red flowers that are about 0.5 inches in length (1.2 cm). It blooms in April and May. The species is named after the Mount Victoria region of Myanmar where it was found.

Coelogyne victoria-reginae

Image credit: Zhou et al. PhytoKeys 2018 (https://phytokeys.pensoft.net/article/23298/)

Authors: Shi-Shun Zhou, Yun-Hong Tan, Xiao-Hua Jin, Kyaw Win Maung, Myint Zyaw, Ren Li, Rui-Chang Quan, Qiang Liu
Published in: PhytoKeys (May 18, 2018)
Coelogyne victoria-reginae (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Arethuseae), a new species from Chin State, Myanmar

New orchid species discovered in Thailand: Dendrobium Obchantiae

Dendrobium obchantiae

Image Credit: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University (Image Link)

There are an estimated 30,000 species of orchids, and hundreds of new orchid species are discovered each year. A group from Chulalungkorn University in Thailand and the Department of National Park Wildlife and Plant Conservation published a paper in April describing a new species of dendrobium which grows in the mixed deciduous forests of northern Thailand.

Dendrobium obchantiae full plant view

Photo by W. Buddhawong

Image Credit: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University (Image Link)

Dendrobium obchantiae closeup
Image Credit: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University (Image Link)

Authors: Phattaravee Prommanut, Somran Suddee, Manit Kidyoo

Published in Phytotaxa (April 27, 2018)

A narrow endemic new species of Dendrobium sect. Stachyobium from Thailand (Orchidaceae: Malaxideae)

Paphiopedilum Adam Hausermann x Duncan York (#2) has really grown

Paph Adam Hausermann x Duncan York (6 years after purchase)

I repotted my two paphiopedilum seedlings today, and was shocked to realize that 6 whole years have passed since I bought these orchid seedlings.  While the growth on seedling #1 has remained rather stunted over (years of dehydration by neglect circa 2013-2015 haven't helped), the plant on the left has managed to establish a healthy root system, and has really grown up to what I think should be flowering size.

Evidence of damage on orchid

However, even this large and healthy plant bears multiple signs of past damage.  One leaf was half chewed off by my mischievous cat, when I had dared to try growing this orchid on a windowsill instead of safely within a glass terrarium.  Several of the longer leaves are bent and broken from being tossed around during multiple moves between apartments over the years.  Another leaf is significantly shorter than it should be--evidence that I had failed to sufficiently water this orchid during that period of time. 

Cat is sizing up opportunity to attack a newly exposed orchid

Even my presence is not a deterrent against attack

I decided to repot the paph because it has been a long while since I've refreshed its media.  Also, the plant was a little top heavy in its pot, and would frequently dry out too much between waterings.  I had noticed a new growth developing at the base of the main plant, and this seemed like a good time to switch up to a larger pot.

New growth on paphiopedilum orchid

The paph had a healthy clump of roots, which explains its great recent growth. I tried to be very gently in the repotting, disturbing the roots as little as possible.

Lots of healthy roots on paphiopedilum orchid

Paphiopedilum after repotting

Here is the paph after repotting.  The final pot is perhaps a little bigger than it should be, but I didn't have an intermediate size between the old pot and the new.  I had a problem with the orchid completely drying out between my weekly waterings when it was in a smaller pot, so hopefully this larger size will keep a better balance of moisture.  And if I'm really lucky, perhaps I'll see it flower by end of summer.  

Tsubotaara Melinda Marie 'Blue Fairy'

Tsubotaara Melinda Marie 'Blue Fairy'

I came across this striking blue orchid at the 2018 New York Orchid Show.  The bloom was hidden behind a glass enclosure, labeled with a genus I had never seen before: Tsubotaara.  What kind of orchid could this be?  

According to the International Orchid Register, Tsubotaara Melinda Marie is a cross between Pabanisia Eva's Blue Amazon and Zygonisia Cynosure.  The hybrid was registered in 2010 by Kalapana Tropicals, a Hawaii-based orchid wholesaler.  A relatively miniature plant, this hybrid blooms with beautiful, oversized bluish flowers.

Tsubotaara Melinda Marie = Pabanisia Eva's Blue Amazon x Zygonisia Cynosure

Photo credits:

Pabanisia Eva's Blue Amazon: DementedPimento (Reddit) 

Zygonisia Cynosure: Maria's Orchids, 2016 New York Orchid show

The full genealogy of Tsubotaara Melinda Marie includes contribution from four different orchid genera.

Curiously, I could not find any photos of Zygopetalum graminifolium while researching this genealogy.  The image depicted below is gathered from a print from Jean Linden, a prominent orchid botanist from the 19th century. This is a species that does not appear to be frequently cultivated or photographed by orchid enthusiasts.  Nor was this ever a particularly popular species among orchid breeders: Zygopetalum Skippy Ku is the only hybrid registered with Z. graminifolium as a parent.

And here is a closeup of the contributing species.

Parent species of Tsubotaara Melinda Maria

Photo credits:

Pabstia jugosa: Orchi (Wikimedia commons)

Aganisia cyanea: Orchi (Wikimedia commons)

Zygopetalum graminifolium: Jean Linden orchid print

Zygopetalum intermedium: Manuel (Flickr)

Aganisia cyanea shares the greatest resemblance to Tsubotaara Melinda Marie, which makes sense because it was crossed twice into this hybrid.  However, I can see how features from both Zygopetalum and Pabstia genera are represented in the final hybrid. Tsubotaara Melinda Marie is a great example of how orchid breeding may be used to borrow traits from very different orchid genera to produce a truly distinct new flower.

2018 New York Orchid Show

Hundreds of orchids hand from a translucent display at the 2018 New York Orchid Show

The New York Orchid Show is my favorite annual event in the city.  This joyous celebration of orchid beauty is a yearly signal that another cold, dark winter is nearly over.  The show opened today, at the New York Botanical garden.
It's possibly one of the most popular events at the New York botanical garden, and by midday the conservatory is packed with crowds.  This year, I woke up early to be one of the first people to enter the show on opening day.

Get to the conservatory before 10 AM to avoid the crowds

The Orchid Show features hundreds of orchid species and hybrids, presented in intricate displays.  This year's production is designed by Belgian floral artist Daniel Ost.

Phalaenopsis King's Caroline and Phalaenopsis Black Pearl

Phalaenopsis Taida Pearl Diamond

Phalaenopsis KV Charmer

Orchid terrarium

Cattleya and Dendrobium display

2018 New York Orchid Show

Each year, the displays follow a different theme.  This year, the recurrent element was these meshes of clear plastic tubing high up in the conservatory canopy.  These clear loops certainly catch and scatter the sunlight onto the orchid blossoms.  They also reminded me of a tangled garden hose....

Orchid display by Daniel Ost

A ribbon of orchids wraps around a bamboo structure

Cymbidium Golden Boy 'Nevada'

Dendrobium spectabile

Epidendrum Max Valley 'Shiranui'

This is just a small fraction of the orchids on display today.  The show runs until April 22, and is absolutely worth a visit.

Flower spike on a tiny keiki

A 1 year old phalaenopsis keiki

I first wrote about this Phalaenopsis Gold Tris keiki just over a year ago.  Keikis are orchid clones that sometimes grow on a mature orchid plant. Late last summer, when its roots had grown over 3 inches, I cut the keiki from its mother orchid, and planted it in the pot shown above.  The little orchid has more than tripled its roots system since then, but hasn't done much growth with its two leaves.

flower spike on a 1-year old keiki

Today, I noticed a green nub growing to the side of the orchid's base.  Much to my surprise, this wasn't some errant root, but actually a tiny new flower spike!  Although I have heard before that keikis sometimes flower within a year of growth, I never expected it from an orchid this small.  Its flowers would be almost as big as the entire orchid plant!

I'll be watching closely to see how this flower spike develops.

A display of dendrobiums

Dendrobium hodgkinsonii

In my final installment featuring orchid photos from the US Botanic Garden in DC, I am exploring the variety of dendrobium species and hybrids that were on display during my visits.  These orchids are some of my favorite genera, though I'll admit that I've had very limited luck growing them myself.  

Dendrobium hodgkinsonii closeup

Dendrobium catenatum

Dendrobium catenatum

Dendrobium ceraula older bloom

Dendrobium ceraula new blossom

This Dendrobium ceraula was one of the bluer orchids I've ever seen in the Dendrobium genus.  The newest blossoms come out with a lovely cerulean hue, which fades to pink as the blossoms age.

Dendrobium Genting Royal

dendrobium haleahi butterfly x00006 x dendrobium jaqueline thomas 

dendrobium haleahi butterfly x00006 x dendrobium jaqueline thomas 

Dendrobium Jaqueline Thomas Uniwai Prince

Dendrobium pseudolamellatum

 Dendrobium pseudolamellatum is a tiny flower.  The species is an epiphyte native to Borneo.

Dendrobium pseudolamellatum whole plant view

Dendrobium spectabile closeup

Dendrobium spectabile is one of my favorite orchid species.  I love its giant twisted flowers, that look like something out of an alien movie, and defy my attempts to capture them in focus in my photographs.  This orchid truly has to be seen in person to make sense.

Dendrobium spectabile whole plant view