Ponthieva ventricosa (Griseb.) Fawc. & Rendle, the colony of this orchid that grows near my house survived hurricane Maria.

The small colony of this orchid that is near my house survived hurricane Maria.  However, the plants suffered mightily from sunburn due to the fact that the loss of the canopy allowed the harsh rays of the full tropical sun to hit the plants.  Most plant lost all their leaves.  The plants grew new, small leaves.  Most of the plants appear to have survived the aftermath of the hurricane but it remains to be seen how it will affect them the increased level of sunlight they are getting as well as the decrease in rain and the raised temperatures due to the massive loss of leaves from the trees.

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.

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.

Ponthieva ventricosa, the smooth shadow witch, a Caribbean endemic

Ponthieva ventricosa, in situ

Side view of the flower in its natural position

The pollinia (yellow masses) joined by  the stipe which end in a vicid disk (grey) that will attach to the insect,  The column is  just behind the pollinia and you can see the opening of the gynandrum.

A flower against a black background

The lip showing green stripes, in this flower the pollinia can be seen in top view

Ponthieva ventricosa is a small orchid that is endemic of the Greater Antilles.  Its distribution is apparently confined to the “mogotes” region of Puerto Rico.  A few years ago I found a small colony growing in a bank of a road.  This orchid blooms from December to February but for some unknown reason only a few of the plants bloom.  Almost all the plants show some degree of damage on their leaves but it is unclear what is causing the damage.  All the plants I have found have been growing on the side of nearly vertical surfaces along with a few ferns.  I wondered why these orchids were not displaced from their site by more aggressively growing plants but I think I got the answer during the dry season.

At one point in the dry season the bank was nearly bone dry and even the orchids which have underground water storage organs withered noticeably.  For part of the year these plants discard their leaves and withdraw underground where their rhizomes survive in latency until their next growth season.  So my guess is that these orchids survive in these banks because most other local herbs have trouble coping with the wide seasonal swings in the availability of moisture at these locations.

The inflorescences are long and practically every flower produces a seed pod.   Ackermann speculates in his book on orchids of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands that this plant may self-pollinate.   The white flowers are presented in the inflorescence with the lip uppermost.

I have been visiting it over the years to photograph this orchid’s flowers.  Unfortunately the small white flowers are difficult to photograph due to their location, small size and the shady nature of their habitat.   Their location on the roadside bank makes the use of a tripod difficult.  The light conditions at the area change continuously due to a combination of tall trees around the area and the open canopy over the road.   Because they are small the focus has to be sharp but the smallest wind disturbance blurs the picture.  The whiteness of the flower means that using a flash to compensate for the lack of light can wash out all detail of the flowers.  So far I am not satisfied with any of the photos I have taken but fortunately the plants are still thriving in their habitat and can be visited with little trouble.

This plant has no horticultural use that I know of and it is not in cultivation as far as I can tell.  Ackermann classifies it as an uncommon native orchid.

Ponthieva racemosa, the shadow witch, an orchid native of Puerto Rico

Ponthieva racemosa

Inflorescence, top view

A fly with pollinia stuck to its mouth parts

Pontieva racemosa goes by the common name “the shadow witch”, I don’t know the origin of the name but I am sure it is due to its preference for growing in shaded locations.  It has a patchy distribution in the Rio Abajo forest where it can be locally abundant.  When this plant is not in bloom there is little to betray that it is an orchid.   You can sometimes see it in roadside banks among the weeds as a low growing rosette of leaves growing in the shadow under the trees.  Locally it blooms in the winter and all the plants in a location bloom together.  The flowers are green and small.  It is not in cultivation and I have never seen it exhibited in any of our local orchid shows.

A group of Ponthieva racemosa