isabelia violacea

[cnycharles]

aka sophronitella violacea...

I've posted pictures of this flower a few times, but each time there was something wrong with the flower. I happened to notice this one in flower just before I got everything wet from misting my mounted plants so took a few pics hand-held. The fluorescent lights make it a little difficult to get the exact color of some flowers (I often mix different color temp bulbs). Now that I know that this one likes to get spritzed heavily and then get a bit of breeze and bright light, it's fairly care-free! (my kind of orchid ) I had seen that a new growth had a bit of stem on top, but really had no idea that it was thinking about flowering so soon.

showing whole plant with new mount attached

finally, a nice, clean undamaged flower!

 

[tenman]

Lovely. I'm babying mine hoping for a bloom someday.

 

[JeanLux]

Wow Charles that really is a very nice bloom, to cool color and lovely shape!!! Jean

 

[Erythrone]

Cute!!!!

 

[Clark]

That will brighten up any growing area!

 

[etex]

Love the color and shape!

 

[Shiva]

Pretty!

 

[NYEric]

Nice.

 

[biothanasis]

I love it!!!! Shape, colour and especially the fact that the plant is compact!!!!

 

[SlipperFan]

Beautiful color. Do you know how long the flower will last?

 

[cnycharles]

I don't really know how long they might last if they were in their home environment but from past memory and all I'm thinking that they might last a week(?), maybe five days if happy

 

[tenman]

I don't really know how long they might last if they were in their home environment but from past memory and all I'm thinking that they might last a week(?), maybe five days if happy

Have you ever tried no water after the flower opens? I'm just curious because that lengthens bloom time on Leptotes pauloensis from 5 days to 5 weeks! Just thought it might be a worthwhile experiment.

 

[cnycharles]

hmm; well, I haven't watered it yet at least I don't think I got much on it when I misted other things since I didn't want to spray the flower. could wait and see how long it lasts though your humidity is probably much higher than mine under my lights, especially since I have electric baseboard heat and it's currently 16˚F outside and supposed to get cooler (very dry air) so it may not last very long

 

[cnycharles]

well, the original flower is still on the plant after nine days and it looks like there is a new flower bud coming out. I think if you keep this one happy but let it dry just slightly it might have more than one flower on a spike. last two times it looked like there could possibly be a new bud after the first flower but it dried up

 

[cnycharles]

update: seedpod and double flower?

my plant was flowering again last week, and as I had been inspired by ricky's plant with so many flowers and multiple flowers on each spike, I decided after his pointing out that his plant probably had been kept wet most of the time, to set mine (while in flower) in a cup of water. well, lo and behold a few days ago I noticed that a second flower bud was forming quickly on the same stem as the present flower! the first flower closed up as the second flower opened.
as I was checking out the plant, I saw that that there was a 'bulb' on one of the old flower spikes. I don't remember trying to pollinate this plant; does anyone know if this species can form odd pseudobulbs where the flower forms on top of the pseudobulb, or is this a seed pod? I was looking at the first pictures from this original flower post, and I can see the 'pod' in some of the dried flower stem bracts. I can't seem to see the usual lines that would form on most orchid seed pods (where it would split)... anyone have experience setting seed on this species and know how long a pod would stay on?

the second flower bud forming on the inflorescence

a seed pod or ???.

 

[tenman]

I have seen some oncidiinae do this; a sort of 'keiki' from the top, and had just one or two in the cattleya alliance do it as well as a couple of ansellias. It doesn't look like a pod from the pics, but then I'm not there with the plant. How does it look to you, and how does it feel?

 

[cnycharles]

well, I hadn't checked it out too closely but it looks shiny like a pseudobulb. i've had trichopilias do the top keiki thing when I had them too wet... i'll have to get a magnifying glass to check it out more closely. also I should use the mag. glass to try and pollinate this flower!

 

[W. Beetus]

Spectacular color! Great plant.

 

[Ricky]

... and as I had been inspired by ricky's plant with so many flowers and multiple flowers on each spike ...

Your plant looks great!

Mine was flowering for 14 days, it has been watered twice a day.

 

[cnycharles]

watered twice a day?! mine was getting twice a week, if that :rollhappy: though since you had so many flowers you must have something going, there