A discussion on select species of the Cychnodes. Photos, AOS award information, where the species originated, care and culture and more from various sources on the Internet all categorized under specific species. Of course you could look for this information on your own, but somebody has done it for you.
A couple things to consider regarding species orchids;
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however, species orchids are not always the best looking of the best.
- Species are not as forgiving to unintentional neglect that hybrids can tolerate.
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Common Name Barths' Cycnoches [Colombian Orchid Growers early 1900's]
This medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte occurs in southern Colombia near sealevel and has spindle shaped pseudobulbs carrying 7, elliptic-lanceolate, plicate, acuminate leaves that are deciduous and blooms in the late winter on a pendant, 6.6" [17cm] long, densly few to several flowered inflorescence carrying non-resupinate, fragrant flowers.
Photo: Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids (SVO 8079)
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Common Name The Green-Lipped Cycnoches - in Venezuela "El Pelicano"
Flower Size 7" or less [17.5 cm]
This medium sized, epiphytic, hot to warm growing species is found from southeastern Panama, Colombia and Venezuela in semi-dense wet forests at elevations around 400 to 850 meters with fusiform pseudobulbs enveloped by non-foliaceous sheaths and carrying 4 to 7, plicate, elliptic-lanceolate leaves that blooms in the late summer and fall on an axillary, pendant, 3" [7.5 cm] long, racemose, few to several flowered inflorescence arising from the leaf nodes just below the apex of the newest, mature, large, fusiform to conical pseudobulb.
Synonyms Cycnoches ventricosum Bateman var chlorochilon [Klotsch] P.H.Allen 1952
Photo by © Danny Lentz, plant grown by the Atlanta Botanical Garden
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Common Name: Cooper's Cycnoches [English Plant Collector 1900's]
Found in northern Peru and Brazil as a small sized, hot to warm growing, caespitose epiphyte of wet montane forests at elevations of 400 to 800 meters with an ovoid-cylindric pseudobulb concealed by deciduous, leaf bearing sheaths and has lanceolate, channeled, acuminate leaves that graduate in size from the base and blooms on an axillary, pendant, 10" [25 cm] long, few to many flowered, racemose, inflorescence with several close, tubular bracts and small ovate, acute, brown floral bracts that are shorter than the ovary, carrying showy, fleshy, chocolate scented flowers arising from near the apex of the newly matured, leafy pseudobulb.
Sometimes said to be a synonym of Cycnoches pendactylon but the color differences and lack of patterning are stunningly difffernt.
Synonyms Cycnoches cooperi subsp. ayacuchoensis D.E.Benn. & Christenson 1998; Cycnoches cooperi var. villenae G.F.Carr & A.Prieto 2002; Cycnoches pentadactylon var. cooperi (Rolfe) Pabst 1962
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Cyc. cooperi 'SVO' III FCC Photo: Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids (SVO 8079) |
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Common Name: Herrenhus' Cycnoches [The Herrenhus {Hanover Germany} Botanical Garden Cycnoches]
Found on the Pacific coast of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador at elevations of 50 to 210 [800] meters and is a medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with spindle-shaped, narrow, close set pseudobulbs carrying 6 to 7, evenly distributed along the stem, plicate, lanceolate, acute, gradually narrowing below into the leaf bearing sheath and blooms in the winter on a pendulous, 15 to 20 flowered inflorescence with closely spaced, non-resupinate flowers .
Photo: Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids (SVO 8079) Cyc. herrenhusanum '93 Gold Swans' |
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Common Name: Warscewicz's Cycnoches [Polish Orchid Collector 1800's] Flower Size: 5" or less [7.5 cm or less] This plant is found in central Costa Rica to Colombia and is an epiphytic, deciduous, medium sized, warm growing orchid found on trees and rotten logs and occasionally as a terrestrial beside rotten logs at elevatiions of 700 to 1000 meters. The new lead for the pseudobulb arises in April and quickly grows to a height of 12" with 14" [30 to 40 cm] leaves until it blooms in September-October as or after it drops it's leaves. At this time no water should be given until the new lead appears in April and it is at least 2" tall. Heavy fertilizing should follow the same schedule with a bloom buster applied once or twice in August-September. Heavily scented 4" flowers are arranged in a pendant, racemose, several flowered inflorescence arising from the leaf nodes at the apex of the newest, mature, leafless pseudobulb. Synonyms Cycnoches tonduzii Schltr. 1923; Cycnoches ventricosum Bateman var warscewiczii [Rchb.f]P.H.Allen 1952 http://www.orchidspecies.com/cychwars.htm I believe this pairing of Cyc. warscewiczii will yield the highest quality flowers to date and will set a new standard for this desirable species. Both of these highly select cultivars came from the earlier cross of ('SVO' AM/AOS x 'SVO II' AM/AOS). 'Giant Swan' is one of my best, with very large flowers, and has produced 3-4 inflorescences per pseudobulb. 'OMG Giant' has the largest flower with the widest petals and can carry 7 flowers per inflorescence. I cannot imagine a better pairing. These are perfect for the discriminating collector who wants the very best examples of this amazing species. ( Description courtesy Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids ) (SVO 8079)
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Photo by Jay Pfahl |
