# Cleisocentron merrillianum



## SlipperFan (Sep 11, 2017)

I love this plant!


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## Ozpaph (Sep 11, 2017)

I would , too!


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## abax (Sep 11, 2017)

I do too. The colors are so harmonious and so unexpected
on a plant that looks stark. What's the culture?


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## Secundino (Sep 12, 2017)

Very cute!


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## Mark Karayannis (Sep 12, 2017)

Interesting. Thanks for sharing


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## valenzino (Sep 12, 2017)

due to both shape of flower and,more important,of the plant....is Cleisocentron gokusingii


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## Linus_Cello (Sep 12, 2017)

moderator: move to the photo section?


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## naoki (Sep 12, 2017)

Beautiful, Dot.


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## NYEric (Sep 12, 2017)

Nice. I could not keep one alive.


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## SlipperFan (Sep 12, 2017)

abax said:


> I do too. The colors are so harmonious and so unexpected
> on a plant that looks stark. What's the culture?


I'm growing it intermediate with East light. It gets watered about every other day, and fertilized lightly with the rest of my orchids.


valenzino said:


> due to both shape of flower and,more important,of the plant....is Cleisocentron gokusingii


I wondered about that. I think merrillianum should be bluer. Correct?


Linus_Cello said:


> moderator: move to the photo section?


Thanks, Linus. My error - not watching carefully enough where I posted.


NYEric said:


> Nice. I could not keep one alive.


Try mounting it, Eric. I doubt it likes to be in a pot, or to be too wet all the time.


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## naoki (Sep 13, 2017)

Here is the key in this post:
https://www.orchidsforum.com/threads/cleisocentron-merrillianum-was-gokusingii.10224/#post-76911
(and I think Valentino is right).


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## valenzino (Sep 14, 2017)

SlipperFan said:


> I wondered about that. I think merrillianum should be bluer. Correct?



I have both,and as i received them in very very bad conditions years ago,i potted them together(are on a mount potted in a net pot with very large bark...base of the plant stay on the mount and roots go in the bark...)... now after years of growing the difference,as they are in the same mount/pot, is evident!

About flowers...i noticed that the colour of flower is affected by both temperatures and light... and may vary from white/greish to nearly blue depending on conditions.... 
Without a dissection,the differences in flower at first sight,are very little....but gokusingii seems to have bigger flowers with larger segments and much more substance...

The real difference is in the plant morphology...
C. gokusingii have erect growing,short and stout leaves with paler green colour

C. Merillianum have pendulous habbit,thiner and longer leaves,a more elongated general shape of the plant and deeper green colour...
Somethink i noticed on my plants...that may not be a rule...
In the base of the plant,where old leaves are gone,in C. merillianum the stem becames black in C. gokusingii stay greenish to pale brown...

While established are not difficult plants... and can take a very wide range of temperatures... but C. merillianum is more a shy flowerer if take too low temps and not enough like,while C. gokusingii is more easy flowering...
For example this winther i left plants in very cool conditions (too cool... i was worryed they may die 6-15 for + 4 months) and they passed the winther fine...but now only gokusingii is flowering...(in flower now...)


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## SlipperFan (Sep 14, 2017)

Thanks, naoki and valenzino. I have a couple more of these plants, one with the merrillianum tag and one with gokusingii. I'll hae to look more closely at the plants and see what they both might really be.


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## blondie (Sep 15, 2017)

Ever nice lovely flowers and colours congrats,


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## SlipperFan (Sep 16, 2017)

I checked my plants. According to the photos of the two Cleisocentron species, all three are gokusingii.


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