I was down in the old market today buying fish food and I stopped to talk with my favorite plant lady. She sells from a box on the street and I believe she comes from the state of Veracruz. I probably shouldn't buy from her but I can't always resist. She had an orchid that looks different than the usual ones I see around here. I ended up buying the orchid and a bromeliad as well for about $15us.

Can anyone tell me the type of orchid and thus the general care, more or less sun? tie it to a tree or plant it in the ground? Right now I have it with some other orchids on a flat wicker basket that hangs in filtered sun. I spray the basket every couple days and the roots are bare. I'm hoping some of these will attach to the wicker.

This is her 'store' across the street from the market in the old part of the city.





and this is the orchid after I got it home. She showed me a picture of the bloom on her smart phone, amazing contrast, and it was white.

I wish I knew, Jonna, but I bet some of the folks that have far more (unusual) varieties than I, will know.

You know, if this might be Epidendrum parkinsonianum, I have to say, I have never seen the growth that tightly lined up. But then this surely will look different from a plant growing here in Nj in a greenhouse for half the year compared to the same plant in your climate.
By a different name
http://www.orchidspecies.com/c...

Do you recognize her bloom picture in my link? The bloom would be quite large.

Anyone else has an idea?

It is hard without a flower but if I had to guess, I'd say a Brassavola or a Brassavola cross. Now days they call them Rhyncholaelias or Rhynchovolas. IIt looks like a nice healthy plant.

Jim

Hm, if I ever visit Merida again, would you introduce me to your plant lady? Looks like you got a great buy there.

The sheaf of long, narrow leaves looks like a Brassavola to me, but the part in your last picture isn't right for that - with the leaves in a row along a stem.

Brassavolas have very distinctive white flowers with thin petals and a large, heart shaped or round lip, let's see, I have a picture I'm sure.

Not BV, I like epi choice. I think it grows pendant, have seen this recently in an old orchid mag. I'll try to dig thru my stack.

well, it does look like the Coilostylis parkinsoniana, I didn't really get a good look at the picture, it was white and I was standing on a busy street. She did tell me that the flower was very big. The long hanging thick, tube like leaves do seem like the parkinsoniana. In reading about it, it grows in a much cooler area, over 1000 meters - around 3000 ft - in altitude. I think our sun would definitely be too much. Most of the pics I googled showed it on bark or just hanging free like a Vanda. Maybe my flat wicker basket is a good match for it.

It also lists Veracruz as one of the areas where it is native. This is the reason I always feel guilty about buying from her, I'm pretty sure she goes home to Veracruz and brings back plants found in the jungle. I tell myself that the plant is already here and will never be home again but I know it is wrong. Sometimes it is ok to get plants from the wild, a friend here makes regular pilgrimages to areas where they are building or widening roads and she saves the orchids, bromeliads and other native plants that are on the trees they cut down or in the path of the bulldozers. Let's pretend that is what this lady is doing

Elaine, no problem I will certainly take you to see her if you come this way. There are also orchid sellers in the countryside that are certified by the state. They have to maintain their 'mother' plant at the location but they are allowed to sell anything they propagate. They also include a certificate of legality when you purchase. However, that is for orchids that are native to Yucatán, for orchids native to other areas there isn't anything similar that I am aware of. We are pretty close to Veracruz, it is the state directly across the lower part of the Gulf of Mexico from us. It is a state with mountains though, we have none, and it has year round rain where we have a rainy and a dry season. Thus, they have more wet tropical plants such as vanilla which originated there. If I can keep this orchid alive through the rest of our dry season it may have a chance to adapt during the rainy season.

I have been putting used pieces of rock wool around the roots of the orchids I have in the wicker basket, just to keep more moisture and keep them from drying out completely. Any other suggestions? I sometimes miss a day in spraying them with water, I need to be more religious about it.

I don't know, now I am reading about the Brassavola orchids and they are also from the same area although not as high in altitude and a climate more like we have with wet/dry seasons. I have no idea. I guess I will have to try and keep it alive and maybe get it to bloom. That's intimidating.

Jonna, I'm glad you care! I felt the same when I bought a Euchili citrina from a vendor at a local show here. I found out later that I could have bought one already mounted, from a reputable vendor if I had known the NEW name for it. It's sad that the environment is being raped for profit, but I also understand that some of these people who collect them, and sell to vendors have few options to survive.

Looking at the individual growths, I thought Brassavolas look more terete, while the pieces in your picture look semi terete. Also in Brassavolas the individual growth would start at the base of the plant, not down another growth. Those were the reasons I thought Epi parkinsonianum/Coilostylis parkinsoniana.
But, having made plenty mistakes identifying non-blooming plants, so I would think it is always a good idea to be cautious…..

edited to add - I am just moving plants outside and I am looking at my Brassavola Little Stars - hmmm, the growth is much more open than I had in my memory….but at least they are coming from the base of the clump.

Ursula, I looked at the link you gave, because I recently bought Epi . parkinsonianum and couldn't remember what color the flower is supposed to be. In looking at the specifics, one of the synonyms is Brassavola....?.. can't remember now. But mine does grow from the base, and I agree that most are more terete. This may be a hard one.

Looking forwards to see a bloom here.....

Well, I had to look up terete (cylindrical or slightly tapering, and without substantial furrows or ridges.) and now I will have to get the orchid out tomorrow and look at it again. I may put it in a pot with something to keep the roots moist. I'm worried that the roots appear to have been in soil or leaf litter and I don't want them to dry out too much.

They way I see it - terete is pretty much rolled up like a pencil and semi terete is only partially rolled. The Coilostylis is sort of open and closes up increasingly towards the tip.
How about putting it into a basket with a bit of Coconut fibers loosely around the roots. Around here under my condition I would surely water it daily.