Neobenthamia gracillis

[voyager]

Neobenthamia gracillis

I picked this up at a grower's greenhouse in 2014.
He was having a very enticing sale because of a lava flow threatening to engulf his place.

It was very tall and straggly, all bent over and woven together, obviously reaching for more light than it was getting.
It blossomed for the 1st time 2 years later, Dec. 2016.
I posted a pic here when it did.

I was expecting it to bloom the next year, 2017, to no avail.
Then, I thought it might be on a 2 year cycle like the Bamboo Orchids I has grown indoors back in AK.
So my hopes then were on 2018, until the eruption slammed it, along with everything else growing in the yard.
I didn't expect it to bloom in 2019 for the same reasons, ... sure enough, it didn't.

It had been growing vegitatively very nicely, so I got my hopes up for 2020, ...uselessly.
I had pretty much given up hope this year until I saw one of the plants begin stretching a bud tassel up to get ready for blooming.
Just checked, it is fragrant.

It originates from Tanzinia at 1k to 6k' of elevation just South of the Equator.
Maybe our 63*F winter temps are a bit too cold for its comfort, but because of its native elevation, I don't think so.
I'm hoping the thicket of accompanying plants will begin blooming next or the following year.
If I can get a bunch of these blooming regularly, they'll be worth the wait.

Because of the history with this one, I'm very antsy for it to bloom.
It's really too soon to take a pic yet.
But, I'm gonna' anyway, then I'll add another when it finally gets all opened up.

[voyager]

I finally went out to look at the progress of the Neobenthamia's growth.
It's now about 3 weeks later.
It didn't develop as I had expected.
It was not a ball shape, but had a flat bottom.
Some had matured.
With the most pleasing surprise to see seed pods developing.
Almost certainly, it will go to seed, and will reproduce itself becoming another naturalized orchid.

I also found a few others in bloom:
(2) - The Oncidium that has been renamed, but I still call ornithorynchum,
(3) - Dracula lotax
(4) - One of 4 Tillandsias in yard.
(5) - Thunbergia mysorensis - "Brick and Butter Flower" - Vines planted to grow up the Geometry tree so that flowers will hang from it.

[DirtyCoconuts]

How much sun is the neobenthamia getting?

[voyager]

I'd call it moderate.
We get the equivalent of mountain weather here.

Mornings - land heats up quicker than water.
Winds blow uphill.
Evenings - land cools quicker than water.
Winds blow downhill.

A cloud layer forms overhead but isn't thick.
Conditions change day to day.
We've just been going through a dryer spell, not much rain.

[DirtyCoconuts]

That could be contributing to the poor blooms. I grow mine in pretty fun sun and I know Isurus does as well

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

That could be contributing to the poor blooms. I grow mine in pretty fun sun and I know Isurus does as well

I was thinking the same thing. This one wants full sun, no shade. It's a terrestrial, so having it in the ground could get it some more moisture at the roots and maybe more water. Mine blooms fairly freely throughout the year, with multiple flushes of flowers. It accidentally sees temps close to freezing a few times a year and doesn't seem to mind.

Also, mine gets pollinated by something as well. I keep pulling the pods off so it will focus on flowers.