Project 2016: Cattleya walkeriana

[catherinecarney]

I found a short article on walkeriana that includes pix of it (and other orchids associated with it) in the wild.....Here's the link if anyone is interested:

Brazilian Orchids - Orchid News 33

According to this article, they are found growing on rocks, usually in the thin layer of detritus on top of the rocks and rarely on trees.

Catherine

[gngrhill]

First photo is of my walkeriana, Carmela with it's one little 1/2 inch root., the second is my unnamed walkeriana with 2 live roots and one little new root and the third is the rock I plan on mounting it on. Don't know what kind of rock it is, but I thought the shape was just crying out for an orchid growing on it

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by gngrhill

First photo is of my walkeriana, Carmela with it's one little 1/2 inch root., the second is my unnamed walkeriana with 2 live roots and one little new root and the third is the rock I plan on mounting it on. Don't know what kind of rock it is, but I thought the shape was just crying out for an orchid growing on it

I'm a geologist, and I'm trying to puzzle out what the rock might be. Possibly some concrete that may have been placed around an iron post? (The red in the lower part suggests oxidized iron). You can do a simple test to see if it is concrete. Try putting some vinegar on it (both the light and dark parts). If it fizzes and bubbles, it is concrete.

I agree that it is an interesting shape and should make an interesting mount. Concrete is chemically similar to limestone; that could be beneficial for your plant. I actually use broken concrete in a pot as a substrate for one of my terrestrials (Bletia patula) that grows in the wild on limestone. It seems to like it.

[gngrhill]

I did the vinegar thing, no bubbles. Attached are the closest pictures I can get with my equipment. The base I first thought was granite, but it seems to be a mixture of different types that were formed and then chiseled out to make the shape. You can see the tool marks where it was shaped. The top rock seems to be a geode type that was split open. It is lighter (in weight) than the base and has an almost sandy texture. Maybe some kind of sandstone. I can see streaks of white which might be quartz, and some sparkle which brings mica to mind.
The place where I got it, a nursery, had several, but the one I got was the only one with the depression in the front where I plan on mounting my walkeriana.