Coryanthes macrantha alba x self
sdahl
16 years ago
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I guess I was expecting a white flower, but these are definitely yellow. Some light spotting on the outside, spots are a bit darker (orange) on the inside. First blooming, flowers are 3" tall (discounting the "wings") and have a strong menthol scent.
For those who aren't familiar with Coryanthes, this is how pollination was explained to me:
There are "fangs" (just visible as little triangles) at the top of the "cup," which drip scented fluid into the flower. The scent smells like female euloglossine bees, which attracts the males to fly into the bucket, where they land in the fluid. The only way out is through a small opening at the rear bottom of the flower (not visible, but at the extreme left and right in this picture), where they pick up the pollen and transfer it to the next flower they visit. Elegant procedure!
I used to have several varieties of Corys before the move, but none made it. This one's from Carter & Holmes, arriving as a 2-growth plant in a 2.5" pot in July of 2006. It's now in a 6" net pot (in sphag) with rather large leaves--sort of a greenhouse space hog, but worth it.
Sharon
xmpraedicta
orchidflowerchild
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