Why do bulbophyllum like so much water?

[Fishkeeper]

Most orchids with pseudobulbs prefer to dry out between waterings, since they're adapted to hold water during dry spells.
Bulbophyllum, from what I've seen, all run contrary to that and like a lot of water. This seems weird to me, since they all have pbulbs, and often fat ones.
So what gives? Why does a seemingly water-holding orchid like so much water?

[Leafmite]

The short roots might be a clue to the climate to which they have adapted. Good rainfall keeping the top inch or so damp means that roots do not need to seek very far for water. Many of them also prefer high humidity in order to bloom well (at least the types I tend to buy....). I have been growing mine in two ten gallon aquariums in shallow dishes, mounted or in basket pots and the moss stays damp a long time due to the high humidity.

I grow many other plants beside orchids and it is pretty neat how each has adapted to grow in specific environments.

[Bulbopedilum]

According to wikipaedia, they like water so much because:
A. They natively grow in very moist, tropical rainforests.
B. Their roots are fine and small.

Leafmite did a better job than me, though...

[Leafmite]

I was simply speculating based on my experience with other plants and a vendor's recommendation to grow some of mine in a 'vivarium' while you added some factual information.

[MattWoelfsen]

Good information. I'm glad you asked this question.

[Optimist]

there are 20,000 to 30,000 orchid species, about 10,000 in the tropics. Each is adapted to their growth area, longitude, latitude, and even altitude. You can find plants with different growing habits, water needs and so on between orchids growing high in the branches and on the forest floor of the same tree. Why they need water as they do has to do with the fact that they are adapted to places where they can expect this water. If suddenly the water stopped, they would have to either adapt, or go extinct.

[Fishkeeper]

Cool info, thanks! I think I phrased it a bit backwards, though. What I probably should have asked is this:

Does anyone know why a plant that likes so much water and clearly comes from a wet environment has adaptations to hold water? Maybe it evolved as the environment got wetter and just didn't need to lose the pbulbs once they were no longer technically needed?

[Bulbopedilum]

Originally Posted by Fishkeeper

Does anyone know why a plant that likes so much water and clearly comes from a wet environment has adaptations to hold water?

[Patriotism]I'll tell you about my great country, where bulbos grow...[/Patriotism]

We have a good long rainy season where it rains a lot and a long dry season where it's hot and no rain. That should explain it.

[Optimist]

All I can think of is that tropical "wet" plants like Bulbophyllum which have pseudobulbs have them because they are not in contact with a ready supply of food (glucose) because they cannot make it all the time like temperate terrestrial plants who often (like trees) lose their leaves in the winter and go dormant. Plants do not "eat" water, it is simply an ingredient in the making of sugar(C6H12O6). So it is not about storing extra water, it is about storing previously made food by a plant that works at a snail's pace.

A slow growth cycle makes it necessary to store the food they need for growth, similar to cacti. Typical plants that use the same system may have either thick waxy leaves like sansevieria, or leafless "bulbs" like barrel cactus. Orchids with pseudobulbs can have leaves that are also "succulent" like cattleyas and bulbophyllums, or not as involved as storage organs as are some "thin leafed" oncidiums. Other orchids also store glucose, but they store the sugar in their thick leaves.

So how they store sugar all depends on their genetics.

---------- Post added at 04:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:37 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Bulbopedilum

[Patriotism]I'll tell you about my great country, where bulbos grow...[/Patriotism]

We have a good long rainy season where it rains a lot and a long dry season where it's hot and no rain. That should explain it.

It actually does. If there is plenty of food and water, a camel will still have a hump. It is there for when the camel ends up in a situation when it must be used. Same with human fat, or any other fat. The body holds onto that for dear life, knowing it will be used when the dry spell hits to metaphorically speak.

[Ray]

I'm going to disagree with the very first premise: orchids with pseudobulbs do not "prefer" to dry out, but the pseudobulbs are storage mechanisms that allow the plants to "tolerate" that better than others.

In my experience with semi-hydroponic culture, including experiments I conducted specifically to assess that, orchids that were watered more frequently always grew better that those less watered. That led me to adjust the potting/mounting of all of my plants so that I could treat them all that way, and that has continued.