Oops, I Did It Again
My new masdevallia in my greenhouse cabinet
I was so excited to introduce everyone to Morris that I neglected to talk about the other orchid I got at the recent Massachusetts Orchid Show. I also didn’t want to jinx it, or even to publicly acknowledge that I bought another masdevallia. Last time I had one, it didn’t go very well.
This time, I got a cork-mounted masdevallia ventricosa. In botany, the word “ventricose” refers to plants that swell or distend, and while more spindly than swollen, this orchid has filament-like sepals (the three outermost petals) that stick out like the plant put its finger in a light socket. This orchid is even more delicate than the masdevallia I accidentally killed a few years back, but here’s hoping both the plant and I rise to the challenge.
Masdevallia nidifica (photo credit: Andreas Kay, CC via Flickr)
This particular kind of masdevallia is indigenous to central Ecuador, where it thrives in the indirect low-bright light and cool-to-intermediate temperatures (~60-75 F) facilitated by the western side of the Andes mountains. Like other masdevallia, it prefers cooler, high-elevation temperatures as opposed to hotter ones. The sepal tubes from which the flowers grow are so fine and delicate that it’s easy to imagine them withering in warmer temperatures or more direct light. Masdevallia ventricosa sports lovely yellow flowers, but unlike the flowers produced by bigger orchids like phalaenopsis and cattleya, these blooms are short-lived—mine lasted about a week each.
Masdevallia nidifica (photo credit: Andreas Kay, CC via Flickr)
Apparently, the ventricosa and the nidifica types of masdevallia are closely related and easily confused, given their similar spindly sepals. That makes me wonder just how many thus-far unidentified types of this orchid are growing in South America (or elsewhere). Every time I learn about a different species of orchid, I realize that there are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of orchids out there doing their thing, unknown to humans. That thought provides comfort. Orchids have been around for millions of years, and I’m willing to bet they’ll be around for millions more.
Masdevallia prefer high humidity, and I’m watering mine frequently because it’s mounted on cork, which dries out relatively quickly. Since it’s in my greenhouse cabinet and getting watered a lot, I’m also increasing air circulation in there—I’ve got both intake and outtake fans—to (hopefully) prevent any rotting of the delicate stems and sepals. We’ll see. Hopefully there isn’t another “RIP” post in the future. Wish me luck!
My new masdevallia
