Onc. sphacelatum

Jmoney · #1 06-02-2004, 02:31 PM

Not one of my plants, or else someone will have to call 911 to check up on me. My mom picked this up years and years ago for a dollar at an orchid society meeting. It was unlabeled at the time but a couple of experts agreed it was very likely to be sphacelatum. It has a light but pleasing floral scent, although the strength seems to vary blooming to blooming. It also tends NOT to bloom while well established...this link is to last year's pics, a few months after a wholesale repotting.

last year's pics

And these are this year's pictures--only half the plants decided to bloom, and nowhere near as crazily. Oh well, I for one am not going to repot these things every year!

Jmoney · #2 06-02-2004, 02:32 PM

A close-up shot.

Paphraguy · #3 06-02-2004, 02:42 PM

Thanks for posting! I think I like that better than my Sweet Sugar/GRamsey because it has a fragrance and my hybrid doesn't. I'm not sure but is that species one of the parents of Sharry Baby?

Heather · #4 06-02-2004, 02:52 PM

Nice pics, Jason! I like the first best.
Pete, saw your Sweet Sugar (?) at HD today - actually it looked fairly healthy and made me think of your comment about days like this (yes we are back in the rain this evening!) No, I did not buy anything! Though they did have a nice little Ascocentrum. Actually they had like 6 big boxes sitting there full of Phals and Dends.

All I could think of was: How long have they been sitting there? and then: poor plants! Learned my TJ's lesson!

Jmoney · #5 06-02-2004, 05:07 PM

Pete, I think ornithrorhychum or however it's spelled is the source of Sharry Baby's fragrance. SB is really a wonderful orchid, despite the inevitable black leaf spotting. All these paphs are making me desperate for fragrance!

Paphraguy · #6 06-02-2004, 05:36 PM

Thanks, Jason. I do have a Sharry Baby and it is HUGE taking up a lot of precious space. The only reason I kept it is it's fragrance, love the fragrance.

Of the fragrant Paphs, I only have one which is kolopakingii. Paph delanatii and Paph malipoense are also fragrant but I don't have those species in my collection. Phrag fischerii is slightly fragrant.

Jmoney · #7 06-02-2004, 08:37 PM

I have a plant of the new strain of delenatii and was very disappointed in its utter lack of fragrance. (Although I'm told that some clones have a light scent). My malipoense and kolo are both small...

Lynleigh Koopowitz, however, has one of my favorite fragrances, and only part of that is due to its status as a paph--a delightful raspberries & cream. I need to get more of these...they grow like weeds. I figure 5 or 6 plants oughta get me through the year...