Showing posts with label Vuylstekeara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vuylstekeara. Show all posts

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Orchid Vuylstekeara Aloha Sparks "Pacific Flame"

Vuylstekeara is a novogenus, consisting of contributions from 3 oncidium alliance genera, Cochlioda, Miltonia, and Odontoglossum. It was created by Belgian Charles Vuylsteke in 1912, although this is a newer hybrid. These are considered cooler growing, so should do well in my house. Instructions also state to grow in filtered light. Some Vuylstekeara are also called Cambria.

Charles Vuylsteke Google translation of article from Dutch here. The awkward automated translations are charming, here is part of the translation: "This cultivar had everything to succeed. Not only answered this orchid to the demand of the market but he also had a name that one could speak, or at least the second portion thereof. The word "Cambria", a name given to all brothers and sisters of "Plush", is so easy to pronounce the name Vuylstekeara quick omitted. Worse yet, eventually called the dealers all hybrids of Odontoglossum Cambria's. There is nothing scientific to this name, it gives the goosebumps orchidofielen but Cambria is so good in the mouth! "
As usual, I repotted and gave a neem treatment on getting this plant home. The original pot was too big, so I stepped it down to a smaller pot. I don't have "ventillated" pots in the small size, so used a clay pot.

The close-up shows why I liked this specimen. The blood-red is set of by bright yellow. The flower form is nicely shaped, no "spidery" petals, which I don't care for. In addition, I'm not crazy about the "pansy" Miltonias, which look too much like pansys (duh). Somehow, it all came together in this hybrid.

The 19th century lithographs, below, represent genera but may not be the correct species, that contributed to Vuylstekeara. If I can narrow it down more accurately, I'll change as appropriate. These are South American species, such as Columbia and Venezuela. These are from my usual source, recently, Wikimedia commons.

Cochlioda noezliana This might be a good guess as a grandparent: "Cochlioda noezliana ~ One of the last species of the genus to be discovered and cultivated, (in 1891), it has small bright red orange flowers, with a disc of golden yellow on the callus of the lip and a violet-purple column...It blooms in winter or spring." also " tend to grow at medium to high altitudes in the Andes mountains of northern Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. In these highland cloud forests humidity is typically high and nights are cool, perhaps around 45°-50°F...usually grow as epiphytes, but are often found with roots growing in moss, and occasionally, in gravelly soil..." "Cochlioda are probably most renowned for their contribution of bright red, orange, scarlet and pink hues to various Odontoglossum hybrids. (Cochlioda noezliana is especially important in this regard.) The genus Cochlioda was established by Lindley in 1853"

Miltonia spectabilis

Odontoglossum luteopurpureum