Spotted at the Missouri Botanical Gardens...
 

Back in Feb. 2005 I went to the Orchid show at MoBot and I've been dying to know what this orchid was ever since. It was the one plant that didn't have a tag (that I noticed!). After slogging through tons of pictures on the internet, the closest thing I could find to it was epidendrum pseudoepidendrum, but that isn't really even an epidendrum, right? Anyone have any ideas?

http://static.flickr.com/23/33950084_1f728939f7.jpg

ID
 

Botanica's Orchids shows a pic of Epidendrum nutans that might be your plant. It says it has reedlike stems about 8 inches long. The leaves are about 7 2/3 inches long and 2 inches wide. The fragrant flowers are borne on a pendulous inflorescence and are about 1 3/4 inches wide. I think the pic of the flowers looks very similar.

The colors are wrong, but the flower shape is very much like our Encyclia cordigera. You might look through the Encyclias too.

Sandra

I renewed my online search after posting this and happened to find this site: http://www.orchideenshop.de/shop/cat...roducts_id=244

That german store has what looks like the exact same plant (colors and all) labeled as Epidendrum pseudoepidendrum.

Maybe I'll take a leap of faith and buy one from an American dealer and hope it is the same plant that I want it to be.

--Wendy

I believe that the orchid on your photo is a hybrid called Epidendrum Butterpatty. It is a cross between Epi. pseudepidendrum and Epi. paniculatum.
I have it myself and prefer it to Epi. pseudepidendrum, as it has a lovely scent. Epi. pseudepidendrum is - as far as I know - unscented.

Karen

Very beautiful !!!

Epidendrum pseudoepidendrum is a real Epidendrum. I'm not sure why it was named, as I would loosely translate it, "the Epidendrum that looks like an Epidendrum," perhaps it was originally placed in a different genus, and retained the specific name when transferred into Epidendrum.

Anyway.

That one could be Epi. pseudoepi, but it could be something else too. The species has a very dominant flower shape, so hybrids often look almost exactly like this species; the colour changes somewhat, but that's about it. At any rate, if you order any of these you'll get a very very similar flower to the one in the pic.

Despite the caution above, I do think the picture is of Epi. pseudoepi rather than a hybrid, except that, to the best of my knowledge, most clones of the species have orange lips rather than yellow, although I think that's within normal variation.

Actually, Epidendrum pseudepidendrum would translate to:

Growing upon tree, false, growing upon tree... so it suggests that it is growing on the ground, possibly near a tree...

But that is irrelevant. Epidendrum pseudepidendrum was originally described by H.G. Reichenbach f. as Pseudepidendrum spactabile... he then moved it as an Epidendrum spectabile, but there was already an existing species with this specific epithet. He then re-named it as Epidendrum pseudepidendrum... I assume that he choose the genus Pseudepidendrum because of the species not growing on trees...

The pictured Epidendrum from MBG is most likely a hybrid, I have seen that one before, but since it is a hybrid, I have no particular interest in it... the coloration and waxiness suggests that Epi. pseudepidendrum is in the cross...

-P.A. Mahon

If you still want the plant...
 

I came across this older thread today, but I know the answer!! And that rarely happens, lol. So here is the hybrid cross, and even where to buy it! :banana:

Epc. Rene Marques 'Flame Thrower' HCC/AOS

(Epi.pseudepidendrum x C. Claesiana)


http://www.orchids.com/shop/shopCatR...emSearch=mc483

I have this one on my wish list, but they are offering only seedlings...and I have enough "character-building" seedlings around, lol. It is ONLY 15.00 though. Might be worth it.

Marco....you hybrid snob! :fight: Naw, I get it...in fact, I used to think I was going to be a hybrid snob too, but then I got over it and realized I just like orchids for the pretty flowers. :biggrin:

Sorry...didn't mean Marco...I meant Mahon! :)

It's ok Justin. I'm kind of a hybrid snob. That's cause their easier to take care of then species :nod:

Honestly, the only species I have is Phal. amabilis. Which grows like a weed, and it just started a new spike. But I know what you mean, I read about what it takes to care for most species, and that's all I need to know!

The similarity is outstanding! I think I would like to grow this plant.

Over the last 2 years I have seen many forum members (here and at other discussion boards) post pictures of hybrids in flower that they have no name, name tag or parentage information for. While they are beautiful to look at and speculating on their parentage could provide some insight into their cultural success, they are unfortunately orphans of the hybridizing world.

It is a NOID and should be labeled as such, if labeled at all. To give them a name incorrectly suggests accuracy in the knowledge of their ancestry.

Most likely these hybrid imposter's will be discredited by the judging bodies. Unfortunately the potential exists for erroneous awards and the possible integration into further hybrid breeding.

The Royal Horticultural Society oversees the registration of orchid hybrids and it is amazing that a hybrid's ancestry can be traced back to the original species and grower that created it. We are all responsible to support the accuracy of this registration system.

Please DO continue to share your pics and entertain us with your speculations, understanding that they are simply that - speculations! :)

Justin,

You really hit that one on the nose!

It is indeed Epc. Rene Marques 'Flame Thrower' HCC/AOS... =)

-Pat

Nice point, Dave!

When the facts are lost, speculation is only that. And while it's comforting to know what a NOID might be, to claim it so, only murkies the waters of plants challenging enough to understand.

Julie

Definitely a hybrid.