I’m currently working on a post about my growing setup. I just need to get my camera up and running (i.e. figure out how to take non-crappy photos with it). Until then, I won’t have much to post on here.
Next week I’ll be heading back to Chicago for a week. It looks like it’s going to be cold the entire time (highs in the low 40’s), so there won’t be any pictures of spring, unfortunately. However, I hope to make it out to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. I’ll definitely post pictures if that happens.
What I do have are some slightly older pictures of the Vanderbilt University greenhouses. I volunteered there for four years, so I got to know the collection pretty well. Here are some plants from it:
Bulbophyllum macranthum
This is a Bulbophyllum whose species name I’ve forgotten (edit: it’s B. macranthum). When mounted it grow around the branch at a 45 degree angle counter-clockwise. The growing tip is also covered in a clear mucus-like goo which probably acts as an anti-fungal agent. As you can see in the photo, the flowers are non-resupinate, meaning that it is “upside down” compared with most other orchid species. There is some debate as to which orientation is actually “right side up,” but the majority of species do have the lip as the lowermost part of the flower (here, there yellow structure).
Grammatophyllum measuresianum
This isn’t a very good pictures of this plant, but I took it backlit like this so that you could see the nearly clear root-tips. In person the roots kind of acted like fiber optic cables when they were in full sun. This pictures highlights a growth habit called “basket roots” where the roots of certain orchid species grow upwards into the air forming a basket that catches debris. The debris gets stuck in the roots and eventually decomposes into fertilizer for the plant. The genus Grammatophyllum is home to the largest orchid in the world, G. speciosum, with pseudobulb canes up to 8 feet long.
Dendrobium and Napenthes
Yet another orchid from the Vandy greenhouses. This is a Dendrobium species. Hanging from it you can see some old pitchers from the tropical pitcher plant genus Napenthes which are beginning to undergo senescence, or aging/dying back.
Dendrochilum longifolium
This is a nice specimen-sized Dendrochilum longifolium. The long inflorescences have two rows of yellow-orange flowers that smell like a citrus-scented house cleaner. Yes, they smell like lemon pine-sol or something similar. Here’s a neat shot of one of the flower spikes:
Trippy spiral, dude.
The paler yellow things aren’t actually part of the flower, but are bracts that occur above each flower. Bracts are modified leaves. Pretty cool, huh?
Well, I think that’s all for now. More updates before too long, I promise. And be looking for pictures from Chicago in the next two weeks.
Until next time, happy growing!
The Phytophile 