Peruvian Terrestrial Orchid #1

[gonewild]

Here is a terrestrial from the lowland forest.
I do not have an Identification for this one.
The spots can be more pink.
The pot is about 6 inches.

The flowers are on spikes about 18 inches tall.

 

[kentuckiense]

That thing is insane! I've never seen foliage like that on an orchid. Wow.

 

[gore42]

Whoah. That thing really is cool! I can't wait until I get a little money and freedom to head to the jungle myself...

- Matt

 

[Gideon]

Very interesting, love the foliage

 

[Ron-NY]

wow that is an interesting one ... love both the flower and the foliage

 

[NYEric]

Love terrestrials too. Cal-Orchids had some that weren't common, I have to look up the name, and they sold like wildfire at last years GNYOS show.

 

[cdub]

... and they sold like wildfire at last years GNYOS show.

I should put up wildfires for sale. I bet they would sell like....well, wildfires.

That's a cool plant GW.

 

[gore42]

GW,

This may be a Govenia species; the booms look about right to me, and I hear that there is a healthy amount of variation in the leaves. Someone pointed this out to me, I'd have had no idea myself

- Matt

 

[smartie2000]

cool I haven't seen something like that before

 

[Marco]

Everyone else took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[gonewild]

The flowers do look like the Govenia species as Matt pointed out. But the foliage is not like the few foliage pictures I could google up. I have no idea about the ID and neither did one of the leading botanists in Peru. I wish I had a better plant picture to post but everytime the plant got to looking pretty good for a picture the little tamarins would decide to smash it.

 

[SlipperFan]

So, if it is un-named and un-described, can you describe, name and publish it? It's really cool. Is it hard to grow?

 

[Rick]

but everytime the plant got to looking pretty good for a picture the little tamarins would decide to smash it.

Another reason why I hate monkeys

 

[gonewild]

So, if it is un-named and un-described, can you describe, name and publish it? It's really cool. Is it hard to grow?

If it were in fact un-described then it can be described and named. But not by me! I'm not qualified to do the responsible research through the botanical archives to make certain it has not been described in the past. Nor would I attempt to write a paper that would need to stand up to scientific review. Species description should be done by experts familiar with the group being described.

Exploring and finding different things in nature is what I like to do! I'll leave the cutthroat paperwork part to others. The fun is in the finding and growing.

I have discovered quite a few new fish species, several of which have been described. I provided the specimens and data to qualified persons who wrote the descriptions. That is what I would do with a plant as well.

 

[Kawarthapine]

The flowers don't really impress me but the foilage is spectacular!!!

Reminds me of others I like just for the leaves, e.g. ludisia discolor, rattlesnake plantains, etc...

 

[lepetitmartien]

[provocative part]erk! Another ugly foliage for miss Pepperpots![/provocative part]

Well, you should see for pushing the local botanist do their homework and describe it. Maybe we'll see a Govenia gonewildii sometimes…

 

[abax]

Such an amazing plant and not entirely unexpected in
your part of the world...so much yet to discover. I hope
the different environments in South America and the plants
and animals will survive long enough to be found and identified.

 

[SlipperFan]

Amazing -- this thread is from 2006! Have we been here that long?!

 

[cnycharles]

Truly a wild flower and plant! Hmm, I showed up 2008, six or seven years! Let's hope we all continue to show up

 

[orcoholic]

The foliage is amazing. Really nice flower too.