Orchids can even make the shortest day of the year feel tropical. Enjoy these marvelous blooms in honor of today’s solstice. They are all a reminder that flowers will bud, open, and fade. Long nights will give way to long days. Light will return. The cycles of the earth spiral on.
Late autumn gives rise to a lot of outdoor orchid blooms at our home in Pacifica. Some of the flowers may be a little battered by the elements, but they can still survive for many weeks. In the past couple months, these plants have endured heavy rains, strong winds, and two weeks of bad, smoky air.
Regular readers may recognize some of my old orchids from past posts — an Odont, Masdevallias, Epidendrums, a Cymbidium, a Cochlioda, and a Coelia starting to bud. In addition, there’s a tough Mexican species, Laelia gouldiana, which I bought a couple years ago. It’s a close relative of Laelia anceps, which I’ve grown outdoors for a long time. I’m happy that these sturdy orchids are well suited for life by the sea.
All of these organizations have been highlighted before on this blog as great conservation groups, doing the herculean work of saving plants on our increasingly imperiled planet. Please consider giving to them this holiday season. They are all non-profits, so donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
How small are orchid seeds? They’re the smallest seeds in the world, like specks of dust. In fact, those little black dots in vanilla ice cream are seeds, and they’re considered large for the orchid family. The photos below show greatly enlarged images of Epidendrum seeds. Each tiny white thread is actually an individual seed.
When an orchid flower is pollinated, it starts to curl up and fade, and an area below the flower starts to swell. That pod may take months to mature. Depending on the variety, it may contain tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of minuscule seeds. Eventually, the pod splits, and the seeds disperse in the wind. Vanilla beans are the best known examples of orchid pods which have been dried and cured.
In the wild, seeds must land in a spot that’s just right. Not only do they need a location with sufficient light, temperature, humidity, and water, but they need to land on the right fungus. With almost no nutrient reserves, these microscopic seeds rely on mycorrhizal fungi to supply their food. Orchids needs this fungal help for germination.
Why do orchids make so many seeds with minimal chances of surviving? It’s a numbers game — most will not live, but a few will germinate, grow, and flower to repeat the process.
In 1922, Cornell University botanist Lewis Knudson figured out how to germinate orchid seeds using a special nutrient solution instead of fungi. That revolutionized the orchid industry, and allowed mass production of some varieties. Since this method involves sterile conditions, lab equipment, and years of work, it’s not an option for most amateur growers. For those brave enough to try, check out this link with a home method. Most advanced growers pay labs to do the work for them.
For home growers, it’s important to consider that a seedpod is a drain on the orchid’s energy. If your goal is flowers, remove any seedpods to encourage more blooms. If you’d like to try your luck, let the pod stay on the plant and mature. Wait for it to split up the side. Scatter the seed in pots with the right growing conditions. Be sure to include the pot with the orchid mother plant, on the assumption that the necessary fungi are there. Only a very few may germinate. And be patient. It may take many months before you can spot any seedlings, and many more years before they reach blooming size. And marvel how these amazing flowers come from the smallest seeds.
Since this is the slowest month of the year for orchid shows, I’ve added a few conference and sale listings. Many orchid societies have holiday parties this month as well, so check with your local group for more.
A new species of vanilla orchid has been discovered in the Amazon. Vanilla denshikoira appears to be closely related to the Vanilla planifolia we all love to eat. The new species was recently found in the northwest Amazon in Colombia, within the Guyana Shield, one of the most biodiverse regions of the world. Only two plants are known to exist, so it’s listed as critically endangered. Since vanilla is such an important crop, this find may be a helpful source of genetic diversity to add to the existing stock.
Brassavola orchids feature showy, durable, fragrant flowers. These Cattleya relatives have white or greenish-yellow blooms which emit a strong, sweet fragrance at night. The most popular in cultivation is Brassavola nodosa, shown in the first row of photos above. It’s an easy species to grow. Native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America, its nocturnal perfume inspires the Spanish nickname orquídea dama de noche, or lady of the night orchid.
Brassavolas can handle warm, dry conditions better than many orchids. They need standard Cattleya care, with some full sun, good humidity and air movement, time to dry out between waterings, and winter dormancy. Their terete, or pencil-shaped, leaves are efficient at storing water, and can handle bright light. They are often grown on mounts, or in clay pots with large bark, to allow them to dry quickly.
Brassavolas are part of the lineage of many Cattleya hybrids. They have contributed their toughness, fragrance, elaborate fringed lips, or long, narrow petals to their descendants. Plants with names like Brassolaeliocattleya (abbreviated Blc.) and Brassocattleya (abbreviated Bc.) owe the “Brasso-” to this genus. A couple of these species used to be Brassavolas until they were renamed as Rhyncholaelias, but old appellations often persist in hybrid names.
The final photo in this post shows just how tough these plants are. It’s a Brassavola growing on the underside of a tree branch on a beach in Costa Rica, only a few yards (a few meters) from the Pacific’s waves. In brutal tropical heat, and doused with salt spray, there were many other Brassavolas nearby, obviously happy despite the tough conditions.
Bad wildfires have brought terribly smoky conditions to the San Francisco Bay Area for the past week. Of course, this is nothing compared to the suffering of those who have lost homes and loved ones in the fires, which are over 150 miles (241 km) away. However, it is causing bad air problems. Our daily pollution readings are in the red and purple hazardous zones, which is a big change from our typically good air quality. I’ve lived here for almost 30 years, and endured smoky days before, but this is the worst I can remember.
How does the smoke affect my orchids? It probably won’t kill any of the plants, but it may harm them. Mostly, it’s a battle with dry air resulting from the same offshore wind flow which carries the pollution here. At a time when many orchids are entering winter dormancy, I need to keep spraying them to increase humidity. Bad air quality may cause growth or flowering problems. Some orchids like Cattleyas can suffer “bud blast” from smoke. That’s when flower buds start to form, but then wilt before blooming. I do have a Laelia living outside which has some sad looking buds, so that could be from the smoke. Other problems, like low flower counts or weak leaf growth, may take weeks or months to appear. There’s not much I can do but try to mitigate any damage with clean water and good humidity. For myself, I’m wearing an N95 face mask for fine particulate matter whenever I’m outdoors in my garden. And I’m waiting for the winds to change, and the fires to be put out, so we can breathe again.
Buenos Aires is home to an extraordinary Japanese garden. El Jardín Japonés de Buenos Aires is one of the largest Japanese gardens outside Japan. It’s located within walking distance of Buenos Aires Botanical Garden. During our visit, the venue was busy with tourists, locals, and groups of school children. It is obviously a much-loved green space in the city.
The gardens include many traditional elements, with Japanese gates and bridges, a large koi lagoon, sculpted trees, stone lanterns, and an elegant tea house. While we were there, we enjoyed lots of colorful spring blooms, including cherry blossoms. We didn’t see any orchids on the grounds, but we did find Moth Orchids for sale in the nursery, along with bonsai, succulents, and garden plants.
The gardens also serve as a center of Japanese culture in Argentina, and feature events with martial arts, flower arranging, origami, manga, anime, and more. Find additional info at the Buenos Aires Japanese Gardens website (in Spanish.) And don’t miss this wonderful site if you’re in Buenos Aires.
Orchid shows are great chances to enjoy incredible flowers, connect with your local orchid society, talk to experts, and buy plants. Don’t miss these valuable opportunities.
