A Tough Odont Orchid
Do you think that all orchids are fussy hothouse flowers? This brilliant Odont orchid lives outdoors all year long on the chilly Northern California coast. Despite heavy rains, strong winds, hail, heatwaves, and mischievous raccoons, it’s a very reliable bloomer.
These flowers look delicate, but they can last three months through winter. This hybrid is Odontoglossum Bic-ross, its name abbreviated from its parent species, Odont. bictoniense and Odont. rossii. Both types survive over 9800 feet (3000 m) elevation in the Andes, so it’s easy to understand why this colorful hybrid is tough, too.
Both of the parent species have been renamed as Rhynchosteles, so that would change the hybrid name also. But I’m still using my old, original nametag, Odontoglossum Bic-ross, for this tough little Odont.
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