Bulb. physometrum and other obscure minis

[Fishkeeper]

I picked up a few new plants from Tarzane Group, and I can't really find much about these species online. The seller has good care info in general, and the outline they gave for these sounds like pretty generic mini bulbo care.

Thing is, I've just gotten my order in, and one of these looks way weirder than I thought. I got B. nasica "Orange", B. planibulbe, B. nipondhii, B. physometrum, and a Pleurothallis cuspidata that I hope won't just up and die in a warmer terrarium. I had to give that one a try, it's precious, but I'm kinda expecting to have to rescue it.

Anyway. B. nasica and nipondhii are pretty generic-looking, as mini bulbos go. B. planibulbe is a more sprawling one, but still not that strange. B. physometrum, though? This thing's weird-looking. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, it's this plant.



See that flattened bulb up at the top? That's a side view. They all look like that, like flattened pumpkins. The leaves lay flat, and I see that some of the bulbs have two leaves.

So, does this thing need anything other than the usual care for mini bulbos? I figure I'll keep it lightly moist, bright shade, high humidity, intermediate-warmish. It just looks so strange, I keep expecting it to want something else.

And does anyone know, will the bulbs that only have one leaf apiece grow another leaf, or do they sprout two leaves right from the start if they'll have two?
How do I tell if this one is dehydrated? Do the bulbs get more squashed-looking when they dry out, wrinkle up, or both?

[Roberta]

I'm not familiar with these so can't help with advice. But maybe send Tomas at Tarzane Group an email. I have found him to be extremely responsive, I'm sure he can give you species-specific info beyond what's in the culture sheet.

[estación seca]

There is a group of tiny Bulbos which require a dry, very cool winter rest. I don't know whether this one is in that group, but you need to find out. I agree you should ask the vendor for more detailed instructions.

[DeaC]

Neat! Till you hear from Tarzane Group, check outInternet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia. Limited info may be helpful and this site is a good to know about. More fotos when possible plz.

[Fishkeeper]

I sent them an email. The basic care didn't list a dormancy, and neither does the entry I found on Andy's site. It just looks so odd- I wonder why it's like that? Maybe it's native to an environment with strong winds, or is trying to avoid being eaten by grazing animals. It must have some reason for being so flattened.


This is the Bulbo. nasica "Orange". That's a B. championii behind it, also from Tarzane. They have a lot of unusual ones, at good sizes. I might move it slightly, I'm trying to put them relatively close together without crowding either. Do mini bulbos mind running into each other a bit?


B. planibulbe. This one has an interesting white sheath on its bulbs, hidden in this photo by the plant having been recently sprayed. That shower of blooms in the foreground is Lepanthopsis astrophora.


B. nipondhii. Also a hidden piece of B. planibulbe. When I unmounted the planibulbe, I found two little bits attached that were just two bulbs each. Both have a leading/growing bulb on them, so I tucked them in a couple of different spots to see how they did.


That's the rest of the B. planibulbe. I just kinda set it against the background and put a toothpick to hold it there until it roots.


And I may as well put the P. cuspidata in. It's smaller than I expected, but that's not on the seller, I just didn't realize how small this species is. I had a mental image of pleurothallids as having 2-3" leaves, and this one's are more like 1.5" at most.
I'm hoping it does well. It has what I think is the start of a flower spike, which is exciting. I hope that spike blooms.
How do I tell if this one is suffering from the heat and needs to be taken out?