I'd like to find a photo of Huntleya heteroclite

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by camille1585

If you want the names I omitted, in Equador some are found in the southeast provinces of Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe. In Peru they are found in the Department of San Martin between Tarapoto and Lamas, as well as in the department of Junin near Chanchamayo.

I have not the faintest clue where those places are, I need to pull out a map!

Thank you!

This is great information! I would've had to search high and low for this kind of stuff! And for this group of plants, that wouldn't be easy!

You can pull up Google Maps and it'll show you where they are.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I forgot...

They grow in medium shade.

Intermediate to warm temperatures (60 F to 95 F).

[Angurek]

Welcome to OB!

To add on to all the great advice posted above, I've also found that members of this group like good air circulation. They just seem to grow better when they are exposed to some air. They also don't like being kept in stagnant medium. If you leave them in stale medium, they'll slow down or stop growth.

As king said, Zygopetalums are a great introductory genus to the zygopetalinae. The main difference between them and the bulbless plants is that they can be grown brighter and can dry out a bit more because they have normal pseudobulbs. If you have some more orchid-growing experience and want to try the bulbless zygopetalinae, Pescatorea and Cochleanthes are great "starter" genera (I'll include Bollea in there, too, particularly B. violacea). I've found that they're more tolerant to a wider range of conditions, and are generally more forgiving of drying out for short periods of time. I grow them moist, but not wet. I have them in a mix of bark, perlite, and sphag, though any medium can work as long as it holds some moisture. You can keep them in baskets or pots, but be vigilant about the moisture of the medium if you choose to keep them in pots. I only water them when they're approaching dryness - If they're still moist, I do not water. I test them for moisture by putting my finger into the medium, and by looking at the medium through the drainage holes.

Overall, once you get the hang of the watering and humidity, this group isn't overly difficult. When I think about it, watering and humidity are the only two "touchy" issues with these plants - They can take quite a bit of abuse (trust me) and grow like weeds. They're pretty rewarding plants, IMO, and some have no set blooming season and so can bloom at any given time.

Also, if you're looking for plants of this group, you'll might have a hard time finding them because they aren't common. Usually, you'll find that the selection is very limited, and some of the rarer genera/species will simply not be available.

Good luck with your collection!

Here's some representative pics of the genera I just talked about (note that these are not my plants, and that there are many more species of the said genera):

Pescatorea


Cochleanthes


Bollea

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Unless you're picking these out in person, don't be surprised that if you order via mail order that these look rather bedraggled.

If you happen to luck out in your mail ordering of these and you end up getting one that looks pristine and intact, count your blessings.

Quoted for truth! Soft-leaves don't ship too well. When I get them out of the boxes, the leaves get floppy or broken.

[glasskiwi]

WHEW! That was a lot to digest from you all.

Thank you goodgollymissmolly for the book title.

Thank you Angurek for the beautiful photos.

Thank you everyone else for the tons of info. I'm a little overwhelmed with the task ahead of me (reaching the optimum humidity without a green house) BUT I plan to do my best and hopefully be rewarded with a happy plant.
Thanks for the info about misting King of Orchid Growing. I will not do it again. Thankfully it's SO dry in this house that the misting dried within the day. I do have a humidifier and a very small fan so I'll think of something.
Camille, thanks for the info. I'm not ready to invest in Orchidwiz but I now knew that I really want to attend Genesee Region OS meeting next month, they will have a speaker talking to us about that region of the world.

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[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

???

This is odd...

When I looked at these places you listed, many of them are fairly densely populated. There are very few trees. If there are any, they're pretty small from what I gather.

The areas surrounding them are not as heavily populated. And that's what OrchidWiz is probably referring to.

Only Lamas, Peru is less populated.

And yeah, all those areas run near or along the Cordillera del Condor. They're not very high mountains as far as I can see.

Again, thanks Camille.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Glasskiwi, I happen to own Patricia Harding's book "Huntleyas and Related Orchids".

It doesn't go into much detail at all about the cultivation of Chaubardia heteroclita. Nor does it go nearly as in-depth as we have here on this thread.

This book deals primarily with getting the Huntleya clade in proper taxonomic order. And it never claims to be largely about their cultivation. It's made very clear it's about taxonomy first and everything else later. It has a few nice picture photographs though.

Only 4 pages are devoted to the cultivation of the pseudobulbless Zygopetalinae. And the information about it is rather general and scant.

[glasskiwi]

Thank you for telling me that. I will get the book Understanding Orchids, William Cullina instead.

I have rigged up a mini greenhouse using a VERY clear storage tote. I have attached a small desk fan to the outside on one corner. The little plants are sitting on a mesh shelf. Next week I'm planning to purchase a 24" T5 light fixture. My only problem at this time is getting the heat up inside the "Greenhouse". I was thinking about one of those warming mats that are used for sprouting seeds in trays. Does this sound good? can anyone think of a better way? Please note that I'm on a budget and have limited space.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by glasskiwi

Thank you for telling me that. I will get the book Understanding Orchids, William Cullina instead.

I have rigged up a mini greenhouse using a VERY clear storage tote. I have attached a small desk fan to the outside on one corner. The little plants are sitting on a mesh shelf. Next week I'm planning to purchase a 24" T5 light fixture. My only problem at this time is getting the heat up inside the "Greenhouse". I was thinking about one of those warming mats that are used for sprouting seeds in trays. Does this sound good? can anyone think of a better way? Please note that I'm on a budget and have limited space.

I don't know much about the "greenhouse" setup you have and how well it will work.

If you have a window in your bathroom that might work better. Use the humidifier in the bathroom too. The humidity in the bathroom alone may not be enough.

[kiki-do]

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, I just purchased this one yesterday evening from Oak Hill Gardens. OHG's are doing the New England circuit of Orchid Societies. I was so impressed with their description of this unique little plant, that I had to get it (very reasonably priced, too, $6). I did not know how difficult it was to grow...they never mentioned that fact during their talk about this particular plant.
By the way, they have this one in stock on their website. The plant is only in a 2.5" pot, but in perfect condition.
Now....to keep it alive! I only have a sunroom, and never have high humidity. Yikes!

[glasskiwi]

Don't stress Kiki-do. I'm a novice collector and I haven't killed mine yet...(two and one half months)
My little greenhouse set up is working well. All my baby plants are growing well including my Huntleya heteroclite.