Cycnoches/Catasetum/Mordmodes - Top 5 for Dummies

[Undergrounder]

Hi!

I've recently become intrigued by this group of plants, especially some of the hybrids. I don't know much about them except that they seem to be a little like Cyms with a little more care and a dry period. (OK that might be a simplification). Are they fairly similar in cultivation?

But they have fantastic colours and scent!

So i was wondering if people can recommend me their top 5 species/hybrids from this group of plants to give me a head start and hunt down some nice plants! I will look them up and do a lot of this:

I already have a flask of Cycnodes Wine Delight 'JEM' and i would love to get a Fdka After Dark, but other than that i'm clueless what's out there.

thanks, Nick

[Jan Pahl]

This is what Fred Clarke owner of Sunset Valley Orchids send with each purchase... It is the basic of the basic at least for the starting point you are.

The only thing this paper don't cover is that catasetum are naturally prone to fungal attack at least in the tropic were high humidity is common on rainy season (For example in nature almost all Catasetinae, even the ones growing at very well ventilated spots at full sun, shows sings of periodical fungal attack with posterior full recovery)... what I am trying to say here is to be careful with this, always check, and if happen don't panic, 95% of fungal attacks go away the same way they came with no consequences at all, but careful with those 5% that represent more problems, that means, always maintain good air circulation specially wen humidity is above 60-70% and always use periodically some anti-fungal as preventive (I use once a week diluted in a spray and applied directly to the plant "anti-antracnosis" because it covers other harmful fungi like "Pythium" and other less harmful ones...Also, if the infection is large, In my case I apply Ridomil "paste", I mean, almost pure ridomil with some water in it, covering the infected part).

[tuvoc]

I don't have a lot of these, yet, but , IMHO, Cyc.warscewiczii is a must have. It is very easy to grow, blooms faithfully for me every year ,and has an awesome scent. What more could you ask for? They're also very easy to find. Warning; once you start, there's no turning back!

Kim

[kavanaru]

pfuiiss... difficult to put a list of only 5 plants but lets try to put a list, based on the following characters (show stopper; easy to grow; easy to find) – sorry, no Mormodes here as I am not very well experienced with this genus:

Catasetum species:
1. Catasetum pileatum (var. album and var. imperiale, but actually any variety is excellent)
2. Catasetum expansum
3. Catasetum tenebrosum
4. Catasetum vinaceum
5. Catasetum planiceps (green flowers, but very elegant and great fragrance)

Catasetum Hybrids:
1. Catasetum xtapiriceps (I like better those tending to Ctsm. macrocarpum but not being too close to this species – macrocarpum x pileatum)
2. Catasetum Orchidglade (
3. Catasetum Susan Fuchs
4. Catasetum Sumanii (saccatum x pileatum)
5. Catasetum Donna Wise (Orchidglade x tenebrosum – if you have the chance, just get it!)

Cycnoches species:
1. Cycnoches chlorochilon
2. Cycnoches pentadactylon
3. Cycnoches cooperi
4. Cycnoches barthiorum
5. Cycnoches herrenhusanum

Cycnoches hybrids:
1. Cycnoches Martha Clarke (herrenhusanum x barthiorum)
2. Cycnoches William Clarke (cooperi x herrenhusanum)
3. Cycnoches haagei x pentadactylon
4. Cycnoches Jean E. Monnier (barthiorum x cooperi)
5. Cycnoches Golden Showers (chlorochilon x herrenhusanum)

Clowesia species and hybrids:
1. Clowesia rosea
2. Clowesia warcsewiczii
3. Clowesia russeliana
4. Clowesia Rebecca Northen (rosea x Grace Dunn)
5. Clowesia Grace Dunn (rosea x warcsewiczii)

Intergeric Hybrids:
1. Cycnodes Wine Delight
2. Cycnodes Jumbo Puff or Taiwan Gold (almost impossible to differentiate them!)
3. Clowesetum Wyche’s Bumble Bees
4. Clowesetum Dragon Whiskers
5. Clowesetum Raymond Lerner
6. Any Catanoches you could find
7. Fredclarkeara After Dark if you can find it available in your country…

Ok, this is more than 5 top plants, but gives an idea or what should be considered the top of the line (IMO). So, now summarizing if I need to take only 5 of them:

1. Catasetum pileatum var. album
2. Catasetum pileatum var. aureum
3. Catasetum pileatum var. imperiale
4. Catasetum pileatum ‘Oro Verde’
5. Catasetum pileatum (any other color I could find )
Just kidding (well, not really)

This would be my list based on the plants above:

1. Catasetum pileatum
2. Cycnoches Chlorochilon
3. Cycnodes Wine Delight (even though I have never been able to bloom my plant!!)
4. Cycnoches Martha Clarke
5. Clowesia Rebecca Northen

Please note taht you being in Australia have "easy" access (at least easier than me in Europe) to one of the most amazing nurseries for Catasetinae: Jumbo Orchids with great hybrids and great selected species too!

[Bruno De Toni]

Wow Ramon, the whole list is my dream jajaja.

[Bruno De Toni]

Nick if you don´t have too much experience with these plants, start with catasetums and cycnoches. Leave mormodes for a while since you get some kwnoledge in how to handle the the first two genera (catasetums and cycnoches). Mormodes are more difficult to grow and some times are a pain in the neck to keep them healthy and in good conditions. By the way the list proposed by Ramon is perfect.

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by Bruno De Toni

Wow Ramon, the whole list is my dream jajaja.

Also my dream I have had many of them in the past, but currently only have these from the list above:

6 x Catasetum pileatum (1 x var. album, 2 x ‘Oro Verde’, 1 x similar to ‘Oro Verde’ but darker and 2 x var. imperiale)
1 x Cycnoches chlorochilon
1 x Cycnoches haagei x pentadactylon
1 x Clowesia Rebecca Northen (rosea x Grace Dunn)
1 x Cycnodes Wine Delight
1 x Cycnodes Jumbo Puff
1 x Clowesetum Wyche’s Bumble Bees

Plus
1 x Ctsm. macrocarpum,
1 x Ctsm. vinaceum x pileatum var. imperiale,
1 x Ctsm. saccatum (need to wait for this one to bloom to confirm ID),
1 x Ctsm. fimbriatum,
1 x Ctsm. sp (received as a present, but need to wait for it to Bloom)
1 x Mormodes maculata var. unicolor
(and 3 single back pseudo-bulbs I need to resucitate next season: Ctsm. discolor, and two more Catasetum I need to re-check what they are...)

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by Bruno De Toni

the list proposed by Ramon is perfect.

I will take this as a compliment or better yet, as you accepting my supremacy on this world

[Jan Pahl]

I can't stop laughing very much with Kanavaru's conclusions after analyzing all the top ones he gave

Pileatum. pileatum, pileatum, pileatum... jajajajaja

Amigo, you and I think the same way Almost the same routine path leading to one conclusion....


.......... ( not related).....

Since Kanavaru didn't included Mormodes, I have to add here that Mormodes is not well classified (classification is always changing), an many growers put tags like buccinator or igneum with no care almost to any Mormodes they have depending the color of it... The only botanist really involved in this genus is Salazar in Mexico, but since he had to work with dried specimens from far away places like Brazil, even he says that descriptions can leads to false new species, specially since the labelum can change in form from one year to the other (and the labelum is the critical part for identification even if vegetaative behaviour is quite different between species), all botanist that have a hand here like Menezes, Miranda or Salazar agree that ADN have to be included to "solve" relationships whitin this genera. Them, in the case of Mormodes only, you will had to buy "species" by color aesthetic affinity, but not expecting 100% accuracy in identification.

Mormodes have lowland species (amazon region), Dry open Pine forest species whit seasonal fires (at least some species from Mexico), but also large amounts of high land species (Andes, Guyana plateau, Sierra Madre, and Serra do Mar and inland high plateau south of amazon)... for example, true Mormodes buccinator grows at 1300 to 2100 meters over sea level only in North South America, that is quite different from average Catasetinae that are low land (less than +-1000 meters over sea level or even more accurate less than 500 meters over sea level, with some exceptions).

What I am trying to say here, is that Mormodes even if is more harder to cultivate than Cycnoches and Catasetum, many of them tolerate very well cool greenhouses. And since many Mormodes species aren't well classified, put a list of favorites is difficult to follow in practice. For example, I love buccinator with its distintive saddle chair labelum and "toothpaste" scent, they are green with white labelum and some of them could have instead of green yellow to orange petals... but the red ones sometimes I see I really don't know if they are true buccinator or not....

[Bruno De Toni]

What I am trying to say here, is that Mormodes even if is more harder to cultivate than Cycnoches and Catasetum, many of them tolerate very well cool greenhouses

That´s right Jan, the point with mormodes is the culture medium to use. I heard that they do very well in sphagnum moss, but in the tropics it is hard to find it and do we have to try different media to cultivate them. I am using semiroten white wood and they do pretty well, also they do not like to much ligth as cycnoches and catasetums do and also they are very susceptible to fungus attack, specially during humid and cold days. Another important issue is they die very quick once they got sick. But with all these difficulties (which make them so interesting and challenging) is one of my favorite plants much more than some catasetums and cycnoches species.