/ Register

Welcome to OrchidsForum.com. We are a friendly online community for Orchid Growers all over the world. If you haven't joined yet we invite you to register and join our community. Hope to see you on our forums!

Zygostates alleniana

Discussion in 'Orchid Species' started by KellyW, Mar 22, 2018.

  1. Mar 22, 2018 #1
    KellyW

    KellyW Orchid wonk Staff Member Supporting Member

    Messages:
    6,563
    Likes Received:
    2,362
    Location:
    Redding, California, USA
    This is a first-bloom-seedling from a flask I bought from Marni in December, 2016. Almost all of the plants are in bud but these are the first buds to open.

    Grown intermediate-warm, bright indirect light, daily summer water but they are always dry before the next watering. Some are mounted on cork and others are on tree fern and I can't tell that the plant has a preference. The flowers are only 8 mm (5/16") across and the whole plant is only 4 cm (less than 1.75") across.

    I haven't figured out what all of the flower parts are yet. Can anyone help?

    Zygostates alleniana single-900.jpg Zygostates alleniana profile-900.jpg Zygostates alleniana plant-900.jpg
     
    Kipper and Raven like this.
  2. Mar 22, 2018 #2
    Raven

    Raven Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    712
    Likes Received:
    589
    Location:
    Midwest
    Very nice! Makes me wonder why this genus isn't that popular.
     
  3. Mar 22, 2018 #3
    Kipper

    Kipper CoffeeCoffeeCoffee... Supporting Member

    Messages:
    1,097
    Likes Received:
    409
    Location:
    Ft. Worth, Texas
    Kelly, That's excellent. Mine is a week or so behind yours. Beautiful.
     
  4. Mar 22, 2018 #4
    naoki

    naoki Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,470
    Likes Received:
    1,200
    Location:
    Fairbanks, Alaska
    Very nice photos, Kelly! It has up-side-down flowers, so the lip is on the top. I'm not sure the sticks (green with yellow tips) next to the column is a part of the lip or a part of the column, but they look like modified side-lobes of a lip. I'm guessing the yellow part in the middle of the column is the pollinia. The structure of the column tip is very interesting. I wonder where the stigma is. The two yellowish hairy parts at the base of the lip is interesting, too. I wonder if pollinia get depositted to this hairy regions, and the top side of the column (probably where the stigma is located) bend back to the lip to touch the deposited pollinia. I killed two plants (maybe not warm enough in my tent?), but I should give it another try! So it flowered after only 1 year and a couple months after deflask? That's quick.
     
  5. Mar 22, 2018 #5
    KellyW

    KellyW Orchid wonk Staff Member Supporting Member

    Messages:
    6,563
    Likes Received:
    2,362
    Location:
    Redding, California, USA
    Thanks, Naoki.
    Yes, it flowered at 15 months out of flask. I'm surprised and happy about that.

    After doing some reading, reviewing some drawings and your post, here is what I think (below). I will dissect a flower tomorrow.

    Note that I have a "?" on stigma label.
    Zygostates alleniana label-900.jpg
     
  6. Mar 24, 2018 #6
    naoki

    naoki Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,470
    Likes Received:
    1,200
    Location:
    Fairbanks, Alaska
    Thank you for the illustration, Kelly! I didn't expect the stigma is at the base of the column! I was imagining that it would be on the other side of the yellow pollinia. So it looks like the sticky part of the pollinia is at the S-shpaed tip of the column. That makes sense.