Catasetum Splendens

[ABro]

This little guy just opened up the other day. Quite the oddity!

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Man, Aaron, that is cool and indeed very odd. I like it!

Cheers!
BD

[Piper]

Very different! And that first pic gives me vertigo! Or is it the scotch...

McJulie

[orchid-man]

those are the male flowers

[Tikva]

I really like those flowers. Since they are the male ones - very handsome.

[thenance]

I have a plant, also Catasetum splendens, and its flowers are somewhat different. In researching this plant, I found a Ctsm. Splendens (hybrid) as well as Ctsm splendens (species). Which is yours? Which is mine? No clue!
Few enough people seem to grow these that it will be tough to find a third blooming plant for comparison. A photo of my flowers is attached.
Also male. When the buds opened, a made a mad dash for my camera, and by the time I got back outside, some randy insect had triggered every one of the pollinia. Dead sexy, these flowers!

[smartie2000]

Cool blooms guys!

[Becky15349]

Holy cow, these are wild!! Never seen anything like it! Thanks so much for sharing!! Are these outdoor orchids?

[Scotty]

thenance,
I just found this thread, and wanted to tell you that your second picture [the solo flower] is Catasetum maculatum. According to the RHS, Catasetum Splendens [the hybrid] is Ctsm. macrocarpum x Ctsm. imperiale. Some taxonomists consider Ctsm. imperiale to be a synonym for Ctsm. pileatum. I have a plant labeled Ctsm. pileatum var imperiale, [it has pileatum shaped flowers that are RED], and when it blooms again, I'll try to post a photo.
Regards, Scotty.

[kfir from israel]

pshhhhhhhhhhhh thats great
beutiful!!!!