Orchid from Ecuador, truly weird, I think is a Scaphosepalum

Ponthieva ventricosa (Griseb.) Fawc. & Rendle, a few close ups of the flowers of this Caribbean endemic

The group of plants of this species that grows near my house suffered greatly during the drought of 2015.  This year has been much wetter which has allowed he clump to recuperate somewhat.  However it is still smaller than when I first found it due to the stress it underwent during the long dry spells of last year.  It only has a fraction of the inflorescences that it used to produce.

Tetramicra elegans [Hamilton] Cogn. 1910, here I show the flowers of a plant from cultivation, origin unknown and two flowers from plants "in situ" in the Sierra Bermeja, Puerto Rico

Cultivated plant

Cultivated plant

Cultivated plant

"in situ"

"in situ"

Tetramica elegans is an orchid that is native of Puerto Rico and can be found in dry forests in the southwest of the island.  Because it has showy flowers it also cultivated by orchidists.  The photos of the plant in cultivation are from a specimen plant that produced large, many flowered, even branched inflorescences, something I have yet to see in the wild where most of the plants I have found are small and have few flowered inflorescences none of which has been branched.  The flowers of the cultivated plant are fuller, larger and more numerous than those of the wild plants.  I cannot say that this is due to some genetic condition or caused by optimal care for the cultivated plant.  The lip of the cultivated plant seems to have a pure white central stripe, but it does have a faint yellow spot in the middle.  Sadly, the friend that cultivated this plant died some years ago I can't ask him where he got the plant.  The plants from the wild are part of a large population on the Sierra Bermeja hills in Cabo Rojo.

Tolumnia variegata "in situ" in the Rio Abajo Forest, Puerto Rico, a plant that I have been watching since last year.

I have been watching this plant since last year when I spotted it blooming in September.  The plant is growing exposed to full sun in a decaying branch.  This year has been hard on this plant, there was a prolonged spell of lower rainfall during what is normally one of the wettest periods of the year.  This year's growths are smaller and look yellower and wrinkled in comparison with the relatively larger and plumper growths it had in 2014.  The inflorescences are smaller and have fewer flowers.  However this year it has produced more inflorescences than in 2014.  The branch where this orchid grows is dead and is decaying, it remains to be seen if it will last for another year.  It is not uncommon, as one walks thorough the forest after a storm, to find branches broken by the wind.  It may be that this will be the fate of this branch.  Should this happen I will relocate the plant to another branch in the same tree.

Psychilis monensis Sauleda 1988, a pink flower

There are vast populations of this orchid in Mona Island, between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.  There is some variation in the color of the flowers.  I found this pink flower deep in the forests of the east part of the island.  Most flowers of this species have either greenish or pale cream or yellow flower segments.

Vanilla poitaei Rchb. f. 1877 "in situ",

This orchid is endemic of the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles.    In Puerto Rico this orchid is not particularly rare, however few local people, and this includes most orchid growers, are familiar with this plant and its flowers.    I have seen this plant hanging from trees near roads and snaking through the ground in sharp slopes but only very rarely have seen inflorescences and until now, I had never seen the flowers.

A few years back I located a large plant of this species growing in the trees close to the edge of a wetland.  A careful examination of the stems proved highly disappointing, as I could not locate evidence that it had ever bloomed.  The plant is enormous, a real giant, some stems measure tens of feet and descend all the way to the ground from the canopy.   Other stems are draped over bushes and small trees a few are growing directly on the ground but are attempting to climb back into the trees.

I kept returning to the plant each summer to see if it had bloomed.   Last year, to my chagrin, I found that I had completely missed the blooming season, which happens in July.  This year I almost missed it too but in this case because I was on vacation, away from the forest, during the peak of the blooming.

Although the plant, or plants, it is hard to tell given the way the stems are tangled, is quite large, it only blooms in the section of the plant that is facing an opening of the canopy in the direction of the edge of the wetland.   The plant produced about ten inflorescences in this small section and none at all in all the stems that were in the deep shade.    The flowers are ephemeral and last in perfection a single day.  I found a developing seed capsule in one of the inflorescences, none in the others, but there are still a few that have not yet bloomed so there is the possibility the plant will produce additional capsules.

I will keep visiting this plant to see if I can take photos of other flowers and to check how many seed capsules it produces by the end of the blooming season.

Psychilis monensis, an orange yellow form of this variable species, photographed "in situ" very deep into the interior of Mona Island.

This orchid is locally common, and sometimes downright abundant in certain parts of Mona Island.  This species produces flowers that can vary in color and markings between different plants.   This particular plant has orange yellow floral segments framing a richly colored lip.

Habenaria amalfitana F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. 1893 in the elfin forest in El Yunque

I was hiking in the upper reaches of El Yunque national forest, in Puerto Rico in May 4.  The forest was very dry, and the orchids with flowers were few and far between.  I was tired and frustrated when I returned to the parking lot where I had left my car.  I sat on the ground and when I looked around I noticed that on a place where there had been a tiny landslide there were some curious plants.

When I looked closer, I could see about ten plants of this species in various stages of growth, from young seedling to plants bearing seed capsules.  The plants are inconspicuous and very easy to miss,  If the spot where they were growing had been covered with more plants I would have missed them entirely.  In Puerto Rico this orchid is only known from the Luquillo mountains.

Psychilis monensis Sauleda 1988, a strange flower with unusually shaped floral parts.

The island of Mona, is in the middle of the Mona Channel, this is between the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.  The whole island is a wildlife reserve.  Although to most people this deserted island looks pristine, this is an illusion.  The island was subjected to different types of exploitation for centuries.  Its native flora and fauna was often severely damaged both by humans and by introduced animals.

But in the latter part of the twenty century the island was left alone to recuperate and nature is healing the scars left by Man.  The island has several species of orchids, the most abundant by far is Psychilis monensis.  I have seen places in the island where these orchids are downright abundant.  In habitat that is in good condition, large plants of this species can be found growing around the bases of shrubs.  But you can also find these orchids growing on the rocks, on cactus and on living or dying trees.

The flowers of this species vary in color and shape, even when you look at a small area, neighboring plants can have flowers that are noticeably different.  When I visit the island I am always on the look for variants that I have not seen before.  In the case of this particular plant, I found it while hiking deep into the interior of the island.  The plant is growing up on a tree but the inflorescence hangs down so that the flowers are at an eye height.

The flower has an asymmetrical lip, in itself this is a curiosity,  But the main oddity is a second small half lip pointing up from the right side of the flower.  None of the other flower segments is quite right.   I was in the spot where this plant grows for only a short time, I was unable to ascertain if this was a single occurrence or that the plant produced all its flowers like this.  Given the difficulty of reaching the spot where this plant grows, it is unlikely another person has come across this plant.  If I have the opportunity I will try to return to the place to see if it normally produces flowers like this.

Oncidium altissimum [Jacq.] Swartz 1800, with an unusual root basket.

This orchid is found in the wild in Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands and in several islands of the lesser Antilles.  In Puerto Rico it is widespread except for the dry regions (Ackerman 2014).  I live in a forest near the town of Arecibo,  Puerto Rico.  When I hike through the forest I often see this species growing high up in the trunks of trees.  However from time to time I find seedlings growing in less sturdy locations.

In the case of this plant, it was growing in a relatively slender branch.  As the orchid grew in size it started building its root basket.  Root baskets in orchids trap leaves and organic matter.  Each new growth adds its roots to the basket.  The moisture and nutrients caught in the root basket helps the plant survive and produce new growths.

The part of the branch where the orchid was growing died and started decomposing, but because it was covered with orchid roots it didn't fall from the tree right away.  Since the decaying part of the branch no longer had the structural integrity to support the weight of the orchid, the plant found itself hanging upside down, still attached to the tree by its network of roots.  The new growth grew in the opposite direction of the older pseudobulbs, which now were hanging upside down.  The new pseudobulb produced roots that grew in exactly the opposite direction of the old ones.  The result is the unusual root basket you see in the photo.

Eventually, the roots of the orchid that were attached to the still living parts of the branch decayed and the orchid fell to the ground after a particularly windy storm.  I found the plant by the roadside.  I took the plant to my garden to observe how it will grow now that the only support it has is its own roots.

Ackerman, James. D. 2014. Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles

Tolumnia variegata, observations on a plant growing "in situ" on the Rio Abajo forest

As I walk through the forest I often see orchid plants growing in the trees.  Most of them are in predictable places where one would expect an orchid plant to survive and thrive.  But sometimes our expectations turn out to be wrong.  When I have found Tolumnia variegata growing in the Rio Abajo forest it has usually been growing in twigs under the shelter of the canopy.   But last week I found a group of plants growing in a leafless branch of an orange tree.  Far from been protected by a leafy canopy this group of plants is exposed to the worst of the tropical sun for most of the day.  From the orientation of the plant I surmise that the original plant germinated and grew in the underside of the branch.  But all the leafy growths are now on top of the branch, fully exposed to the sun

.

The leaf fans are flat and are so oriented that at midday only the very narrow top of the leaf is exposed to the sun.  This orchid has a large network of roots that runs for many inches around it in the branch where it is perched.  The leaf fans are comparatively puny compared with other Tolumnia I have seen in the forest and are definitely stunted.  The inflorescences are small and have fewer flowers than plants that grow in more sheltered spots.  However the plant looks pretty healthy and it has several inflorescences on the way.

The plant is growing fifteen feet up in a tree.  I plan to monitor its growth and blooming over the next year.  I am particularly curious to see how this plant fares in such an exposed location during the dry season when a whole month can pass without any rain and humidity can be very low for our location. 

On occasion I have brought Tolumnia plants that have fallen from the trees to my shadehouse which is not far from where this tree is located.  All have eventually died.  I wonder why a plant that lives several years on the local trees around my house perishes when moved to my garden.  Perhaps observing this plant will illuminate this question.

Polystachya foliosa (Lindl.) Reichenbach f. 1863, "in situ" in the Rio Abajo forest in Puerto Rico

This species is found in Central America, South America and the West Indies.  In Puerto Rico this is a common orchid in moist districts from sea level to high elevation (900 mts.), it frequently grows in roadside trees.¹   I have seen these orchids in many places in the island.  Unfortunately, it is impossible to know if the plants I see in the wild are foliosa or concreta if the plants are not in bloom.  Even when in bloom, the differences between these species are based on technical details of the lip and column that don’t exactly leap to the eye.  My best guess is that the plant and inflorescences in this article are foliosa.   I found this plant close to my home, in the Rio Abajo forest, this greatly facilitated taking the photos of the plant and the inflorescence.

The flowers of these orchids are small, yellowish green.  In the case of this particular plant, the flowers don’t open.  The flowers in the photos are cleistogamic, that is, they self-pollinate and never open.  As a result of this pollination strategy the plant produces many seedpods.

A few years ago, in an orchid internet forum, a person that had visited the island told me that it had collected seedpods from an orchid he had seen on the roadside.  From the description it was clear it was a Polystachya.   I told the person it was hardly worth the effort to spend time and money sowing seeds of Polystachia, given the possibility that the plants produced would never open their flowers.  The person, which appeared to have only a tenuous understanding of orchids, was clearly put off by the news that the seedpods were not of a rare or showy orchid.  I wonder if the person went ahead anyway and sowed the seeds.

¹ Ackerman, James D.  1995.  An orchid flora of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Ponthieva ventricosa, first flower of the season.

  

This is the first flower of the winter season of the plants of  a patch of Ponthieva ventricosa plants I am monitoring in the wild.  The patch was being overshadowed by ferns.  I cleared away a few of the ferns so that the plants would get more sunshine, as a result the patch became healthier amd this year will produce its best blooming since I have been watching it.

Epidendrum , ackermanii Hagsater 2004, formerly known as Epidendrum secundum from Puerto RIco

A plant from Maricao

Side view of the callus of the lip

Front view of the lip

The inflorescence of a plant from Maricao

Cultivated plant, Aguadilla, note that the lip shape and callus are diffent from
 ackermanii, the provenance of this plat is unknown

Plants growing in a landslide, note the purplish color and the small size.

Very small plants blooming 

Epidendrum secundum?  This plant is from Ecuador, growing in great numbers in the roadaside
in the road from Quito to Mindo.

Epidendrum ackermanii is a native orchid of Puerto Rico.  It can be found at middle elevations in many places in the mountainous interior of the island, particularly to the west of the island¹ .  I have found this plant growing in roadsides, landslides, fern prairies and places were the local vegetation has been disturbed or damaged in some way.  I have seen it near Toro Negro and Maricao.  In thirty years of visiting the local forests I have seen it growing epiphytically only once, all the other time it is always growing in the ground, most often under the shade of small, sparsely leafed shrubs that allow a lot of light to reach the orchids.  In Puerto Rico the plant size of this orchid varies wildly, I have found some that were only a few inches tall (which were blooming!) to some that reached two to three feet in length.   The larger and healthier plants are those growing over fast draining rocky ground overlain with a layer of decaying leaves and woody material.   Plants that are exposed to full sun for part of the day but are sheltered from the strongest sunlight at midday by neighboring bushes or trees and have their roots in a spot where there is a substantial accumulation of forest floor litter that is shaded from full sun are usually the largest. 

The size of the flowers and the inflorescence is affected by the vigor of the plant, larger plants produce both larger flowers and more of them.  But in general the inflorescences of ackermanii are quite small and relatively few flowered when compared with plants identified as secundum in horticulture.  I have seen the tiniest flowers and the fewest flowered inflorescences in plants growing in recent landslides, in places where there is little or no leaf litter and the roots are exposed.  Sometimes the plants in these situations are so small it is amazing to see them blooming.

 The leaves also vary in their color, plants growing among the rocks of a recent landslide were only a few inches tall and had a deep reddish purple color, plants growing in a shady location were a deep green.  Flower color is lilac but the shade and saturation of the color varies, some plants have flowers that are a pale rose, other plants have flowers in deeper shades of lilac.

Epi. ackermanii, although it is superficially similar to the cultivated plants identified as secundum that are commonly grown all over the island,  has some differences that easily set it apart.   Wild plants are never seen to form the large tangles of many blooming stems that make secundum so attractive.  Compared with cultivated forms of secundum the inflorescences are few flowered.  The flowers are always smaller than secundum and tend to be closely clustered.  I have never seen Epi. ackermanii in cultivation anywhere, even among fanciers of native orchids, perhaps it is because of the availability of secundum plants with larger flowers in horticulture.   I once took a keiki from a mature plant to see if it would grow in captivity but the plant failed to thrive and eventually died. The Epi. secundum that I have always grown without complaint, it may be that this orchid doesn’t do well under the heat and dryness of the coastal lowlands.

One curious thing about this orchid is that when you visit its native haunts, even thought you can see what seems like plenty of suitable habitat, the plant distribution is patchy, with groups of plants here and there.  The largest group I have ever seen only had a few dozen plants widely distributed over an area of a recent landslide.

¹ Ackerman, James D.  1995.  An orchid flora of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.