African Orchid - can anyone name it ? - Orchid Board

nenella · #1 01-19-2010, 06:19 PM

I have been given a division of this by my mother who has had the plant for over 30 years ..(from Kenya)
The flowers are small & yellow (many flowers per bract). She tells me they look similar in shape to the flowers of the Doum Palm and are yellow.
Here is a photo of the plant as well as my division freshly mounted on a bit of drift wood. I hope someone can identify this.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #2 01-19-2010, 07:07 PM

The only thing that comes to mind is a Tridactyle sp.

Not sure.

If it blooms, try getting a photo of it as best you can. Should they be Tridactyle, the flowers are small and may be difficult to capture on a normal camera.

SOS · #3 01-20-2010, 11:32 PM

The closest Tridactyle I could think of to that description would be Tri. bicaudata. I dont think it is, but it could be a Tridactyle based on the short infloresence?

nenella · #4 01-21-2010, 02:06 PM

Thank you very much both of you for your thoughts. My mum's "away from home" So, I will e mail her with your input & ideas.
She definitely grows it in the 'shade' & I gave her a 10 megapixel camera for Xmas... so hopefully she will be able to take a photo or 2 next time it flowers. I don't dare believe my division will flower ... but when it does I will definitely photograph it.... also as I have my eye on a 21 megapixel camera...when I get paid a bonus in a few months so

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #5 01-21-2010, 02:20 PM

No problem.

My thoughts...I'd focus on getting a macrolens for photographing tiny flowers instead. There's limited zoom capacity on just the normal settings of the original camera.

The resolution only gets you a crisper picture. Small objects out of the stock lens' range will still appear blurry.

nenella · #6 03-20-2010, 09:21 AM

Good news!
My mum told me hers was spiking so I looked at mine & I have spikes!!!! I will have to find someone with a macro lens to photograph when it blooms..
here are 2 pics of it now

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #7 03-20-2010, 12:05 PM

This is cool!

It'd be nice to see it.

nenella · #8 03-21-2010, 01:54 PM

I have been 'studying' this I have taken a photo of where each new spike comes from. Iit seems that these send out a new spike next to the older ones. So & I'm glad I left the old dried up ones on .. I hope this will help with the eventual naming of it...

Zoi2 · #9 03-22-2010, 02:16 PM

Nenella, I was goofing around and came across this site, it might help identify your plant once it blooms. Orchids from Central Africa - Species
Joann

nenella · #10 03-25-2010, 03:38 PM

Many thanks Joann!