# subtropicum



## dodidoki (Oct 19, 2014)

First flower:


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## NYEric (Oct 19, 2014)

Yay! Is that oriented in the correct direction?


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## dodidoki (Oct 19, 2014)

NYEric said:


> Yay! Is that oriented in the correct direction?


Flower faces a little bit down so not too easy to make a foto face to face.


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## Migrant13 (Oct 19, 2014)

Wow that's ones funky looking.


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## Rick (Oct 19, 2014)

That fake "mold" on the pouch is so cool:clap:


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## troy (Oct 19, 2014)

It grows like that to scare away real mold and fungus


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## Rick (Oct 19, 2014)

troy said:


> It grows like that to scare away real mold and fungus



My guess is, the flower mimics rotting fruit (almost looks like a fig) to attract a fly pollinator.

Any fragrance Istvan?


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## dodidoki (Oct 19, 2014)

Rick said:


> My guess is, the flower mimics rotting fruit (almost looks like a fig) to attract a fly pollinator.
> 
> Any fragrance Istvan?



Interesting, but it has only faint, but pleasant fragrance, reminds me of something, but I haven't recognized yet....


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## SlipperFan (Oct 19, 2014)

Unlike anything I've seen before.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Oct 21, 2014)

Nice that it grew a good growth for you this year and even managed a few flowers. Having said that, next year will be the test - will it grow another strong growth, or diminish? If it were my plant, I'd cut off the flowers this year and pass on setting any seed.

Speaking of the "fake mold" on the lip orifice, when researchers looked at the only dried specimen at the time (there was no photo taken when it was first collected) they believed that it was real mold. It was a surprise when live specimens were found again in Yunnan that they were "moldy" :rollhappy:


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## dodidoki (Oct 22, 2014)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Nice that it grew a good growth for you this year and even managed a few flowers. Having said that, next year will be the test - will it grow another strong growth, or diminish? If it were my plant, I'd cut off the flowers this year and pass on setting any seed.
> 
> Speaking of the "fake mold" on the lip orifice, when researchers looked at the only dried specimen at the time (there was no photo taken when it was first collected) they believed that it was real mold. It was a surprise when live specimens were found again in Yunnan that they were "moldy" :rollhappy:



I tried with this guy two times before....I don't know what happened at third time, but see pic. This one arrived at me in august of sept 2013, so one year before. I placed it in my GH, relatively warm, around 18 -20 C. Watered only 2 once/weeks. I was happy when I saw that plant did nothing. ( previous plants begun to diminished this time). "We" survived winter succesfully and I became braver, so because I had an opportunity I bought another one( this one is in bloom now). I hang them in shade in my garden in late April, they got many water ( almost every day, except rainy days), but they did NOTHING at all!!!All of my other cyps were blooming, but these were just hanging in peace in the shade.....in early August something happened, all of two begun to shoot some new roots and a growth. I send this pic because however it is not a blooming, but it is a survival plant with a strong new growth. 
My experience with this species: it has different dormant period , not typical for a cyp, but similar to catts. Another interesting point that it need many water in summer, however this time plant seems to do nothing at all. Growing period is reverse in comperison with other cyps: it begins in late summer. I think we used to kill this plant in autumn when we send them to sleep into cool and dry conditions ( we send them in heaven).


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## polyantha (Oct 23, 2014)

Looking good so far. Do you think it's gonna bloom?


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## KyushuCalanthe (Oct 23, 2014)

Interesting, especially about their growth cycle. It doesn't surprise me though given the seasonal variations of their homeland. I saw a few at Dr. Perner's greenhouses in Chengdu, China and he said they flower for him the first year and then go into decline over subsequent seasons. I hope your experience is different.


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## Modden (Oct 24, 2014)

Regarding the "mould" spots; is that related to pollination? I think the flower looks like a rotting fruit, is there any data on what kind of insect pollinates it. I wouldn't be surprise if that insect would be associated with fruit. Does anybody know?


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## Berthold (Oct 24, 2014)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> ... he said they flower for him the first year and then go into decline over subsequent seasons.


Yes that should be true for wild collected plants because they lost contact to there fungi. The flower in the first years is still supported by the power in the root system.

If there is some seed available, we could produce seedlings and we will have a automatic selection of plants, which are more independent of fungi than the standard wild plants.


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## Modden (Oct 26, 2014)

My apologis Rick, i did't see that you had already asked the same thing i asked.


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## Rick (Nov 16, 2014)

Modden said:


> My apologis Rick, i did't see that you had already asked the same thing i asked.



No apologies needed. Curious minds thinking alike:wink:

Lots of insects are drawn to fermenting fruits, and their are probably a bunch of predatory insects that want to feed on maggots of insects that are eating rotting fruits.

So this is fascinating speculation as to who the pollinator is.


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## JPMC (Dec 21, 2014)

Does anybody know when legal seedlings of this species will be available? I read that they were being produced.


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## NYEric (Dec 21, 2014)

"Legal"? How?
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/201848/0- 
"Ex situ conservation: Artificial propagation, re-introduction, seed collections." -and this is kind of vague. 
Hell, I'm not even allowed to repost that!!


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## JPMC (Dec 22, 2014)

NYEric said:


> "Legal"? How?
> http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/201848/0-
> "Ex situ conservation: Artificial propagation, re-introduction, seed collections." -and this is kind of vague.
> Hell, I'm not even allowed to repost that!!



I believe that Hengduan Mountains Biotechnology Ltd. was doing this. Will they be "legal" is the next question.


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## Berthold (Dec 22, 2014)

JPMC said:


> I believe that Hengduan Mountains Biotechnology Ltd. was doing this. Will they be "legal" is the next question.



I am pretty sure that the Perner family will act legally. But I am not sure if he was successful. 
And I also don't know if he had access on green seed pods from subtropicum


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