# Phrag. ecuadorense



## goldenrose (Mar 3, 2010)

Made a trade the summer of '07 for this cutie. Was 3 gr. is now 6 but wasn't blooming. Moved it last spring to a slightly higher light level and ... 
the rewards!


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## Shiva (Mar 3, 2010)

Gorgeous! :drool::drool::drool:


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## biothanasis (Mar 3, 2010)

A beauty!!! I love it!!! Do you grow it in sphagnum???


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## smartie2000 (Mar 3, 2010)

Nice higher light did it! beautiful

Thought I am not expert, I thought that Phrag. ecuadorense is the lighter form of pearcei. Your plant has dark flowers according to your photo. Might it be a regular pearcei?


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## jblanford (Mar 3, 2010)

That looks great Rose, I have a small plant and it's doing nothing, maybe more light, we'll see. Thanks.... Jim.


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## goldenrose (Mar 3, 2010)

Thanks guys!


biothanasis said:


> A beauty!!! I love it!!! Do you grow it in sphagnum???


No actually it came in a perlite, gravelish mix. It has moss growing on the top. It sits in water that I change a couple times a week.



smartie2000 said:


> Nice higher light did it! beautiful
> Thought I am not expert, I thought that Phrag. ecuadorense is the lighter form of pearcei. Your plant has dark flowers according to your photo. Might it be a regular pearcei?



I have no idea, this one has a clonal name of 'Shanjar'. I made the trade with a gal on the 'other' forum before I was banned! To my knowledge it is not a division, she was tired of it, it wasn't doing much for her. My gain! I like it alot, it's adorable!

Jim - info I gathered indicated it was a lower light plant growing in areas shaded/shadowed by other plants. I put it with my bess x's, which bloom under that light and it did grow, infact I lost a couple of growths because they grew down into the water. It's still at the north end of my GH but I moved it just 2 ft from the west side to the east side!


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## smartie2000 (Mar 3, 2010)

I agree it is adorable...I am tempted to add another one of this species in my collection (haha...I really don't need it)


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## goldenrose (Mar 3, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> I agree it is adorable...I am tempted to add another one of this species in my collection (haha...I really don't need it)


Yes you do - they don't take up much space!


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## Yoyo_Jo (Mar 3, 2010)

Rose, you sure know how to grow 'em! Great looking plant and blooms. :clap:


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## CodPaph (Mar 3, 2010)

Beautiful plants and flowers, but I believe it is phrag. caricinum.


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## goldenrose (Mar 3, 2010)

CodPaph said:


> Beautiful plants and flowers, but I believe it is phrag. caricinum.


and the difference is? 
It's my understanding that pearcei, ecaudorense & caricinum are all the same, just part of a very variable species. Photos on PhragWeb of caricinum & ecaudorense look the same to me.


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## Leo Schordje (Mar 3, 2010)

Very nice growing Rose. 

For what it is worth, the narrow sedge like leaf configuration is thought to be an adaptation to HIGH light, much as the terete configuration in Vandas and Brassavola. Anytime you see this in a Phrag assume it wants light brighter than what you would give a Cattleya. However, remember the habitat is usually an open area, among the grasses, on cliffs or slopes with running water either in the mosses or nearby. So the roots are cool. The crown (rhizome) and roots of these plants are in the shade of the grasses and mosses. So give them sun but keep the roots cool. How? One trick is to make sure the pot is shaded by surrounding pots, but the leaves are in the sun. Another is to set the pot the Phrag is in, into an empty clay pot that is at least one inch taller and wider than the phrag's pot. The empty air space will keep the pot shaded and insulated from the heat of direct sun. Also if you set this whole configuration in a shallow tray of water, the water wicking into the clay pot will cool by evaporation. This trick is really helpful, so I have been repeating it in various appropriate threads. (don't mean to beat a dead horse :viking There are other ways to skin this cat, including having more air circulation, but keep the goal in mind, leaves in sun, and roots no warmer than ambient air temps. Rose, the way you have your plant likely the clay pot is keeping the roots cool enough that it is quite happy, as demonstrated by the new growths and abundant flowers. 

Last, in taxonomy color is the least important of traits for determining a species. Dark or light colors are trivial. (in horticulture that is different, we all want either the very dark colorful one, or the albino :evil The staminode on Rose's plant seems to agree more with ecuadorense than caricinum. 

The size of Rose's plant is a bit larger than a 'classic' ecuadorense, but I would need to see it in person to really know one way or the other. Rose, I think you should keep your label as it is. Maybe have me or Ernie look at it if you bring it in to the IOS show the weekend of March 21. If it is not ecuadorense, it might be pearcei, but those 'bushy' eyebrows are classic ecuadorense. And I have seen a lot of them over the years. 

Nice growing and well flowered. 
Leo


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## goldenrose (Mar 3, 2010)

Leo- I get - I get it - the miltonia treatment!
The overall plant height including the pot is 12". The plant had one flower open for the Batavia show, no one seemed to question it. I will have a display at IOS & I hope it has 3 or maybe more :drool: flowers open at that time. Ernie is going to MAOC so he won't be there, maybe he recalls seeing it at Batavia or Tom K?


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## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 3, 2010)

Wonderfully grow Rose! Thank you Leo too for all the good information, I know next to nothing about phrags.


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## musiclovertony (Mar 3, 2010)

This is beautiful! I really like it, especially with the whole plant shots  what are you going to do with it when the rhizome is longer than the pot?  Do you know if they will turn to fill the pot? or do you have to upsize, or divide?


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## CodPaph (Mar 3, 2010)

In my view, the plan pearcei and pearcei var. equadorense are smaller, leaves and thin and small, as they say around here seems to plant grass, and larger plant caricinum has wider leaves and dark, almost equal to the plant cristiansenianum.


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## smartie2000 (Mar 3, 2010)

CodPaph said:


> Beautiful plants and flowers, but I believe it is phrag. caricinum.



I disagree. Phrag caricinum has different markings inside of the pouch. The pouch has larger blotches brown in caricinum.

For me, pearcei and carcinum is easy to tell apart based on the flower. But pearcei and ecuadorense are very similar.

For leaf lengths, etc. that can vary a lot within a single species or based on growing conditions. That I am starting to think is not as useful in idenitification, though I have to be careful when I say that...and there are dwarf versions of many different orchids species, for example.


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## goldenrose (Mar 3, 2010)

musiclovertony said:


> ... what are you going to do with it when the rhizome is longer than the pot?  Do you know if they will turn to fill the pot? or do you have to upsize, or divide?





goldenrose said:


> Jim ...... infact I lost a couple of growths because they grew down into the water.


I'll be upsizing!


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## SlipperFan (Mar 3, 2010)

I agree with Fren. Here's caricinum:


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## SlipperKing (Mar 3, 2010)

Just wonderful Rose. Fantastic job growing this guy out! Great color as well.


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## Chuck (Mar 3, 2010)

Fren, if you want a division, let me know. I've got a plant with growths going over the side. I'll cut one off and bring it to the meeting for you if you want it. A free-bee.


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## JeanLux (Mar 4, 2010)

Bravo Rose, great growing!!!! Jean


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## Yoyo_Jo (Mar 4, 2010)

Chuck said:


> Fren, if you want a division, let me know. I've got a plant with growths going over the side. I'll cut one off and bring it to the meeting for you if you want it. A free-bee.



Hey, I'm coming to you guy's next meeting - if Fren declines, I'll take it off your hands. 
Hey are you Chuck, as in Chuck who won the Grand Champion at the last show?? Hi!


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## NYEric (Mar 4, 2010)

It is .............




wait for it















not besseae! :rollhappy:


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## smartie2000 (Mar 4, 2010)

Eric, thanks lol



Chuck said:


> Fren, if you want a division, let me know. I've got a plant with growths going over the side. I'll cut one off and bring it to the meeting for you if you want it. A free-bee.



I can't reject that offer Chuck and appreciate it! Please do bring me a piece sometime if it isn't too troublesome

I hope to meet you Joanne, ...haha. I do have a few things I need to put on the raffle table, etc.


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## Chuck (Mar 4, 2010)

Fren and Joanne, I will bring a piece for both of you.

Joanne, it will be nice to see you at the meeting and, yes, I am that Chuck.

Chuck


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## Yoyo_Jo (Mar 4, 2010)

You will, really???  What a doll....:clap:


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