Cyp calcicola

[JeanLux]

When I came to orchids, for a long time I was not warm with slippers; then for a long time I did not know Cyps, apart calceolus (a european native), but in 2015, in China with Holger and Wenqing I discovered their discrete beauty! I was fortunate to get this calcicola from Wenqing in Dresden, just a few weeks before Holger's passing :-( :-( !

Jean

 

[Linus_Cello]

Wow, lovely dark wine burgandy! I wish DC wasn't so hot in the summer so I could grow these.

 

[eggshells]

I love this too but I don't think I can plant this outside. (Zone 3B)

 

[Don I]

I also love this too.
Don

 

[Linus_Cello]

I love this too but I don't think I can plant this outside. (Zone 3B)

No, but you could plant it in a pot, and keep it protected in the winter and bring it out in the summer.

 

[naoki]

Very nice, Jean! I hope it will do well, and spread into the cultivation!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Wonderful little thing. I remember one I saw in Huanglong Valley that I could literally cradle in my hand - I mean the whole plant AND flower!

 

[coronacars]

I love the color of this one.

 

[abax]

Oh my, the dark wine color is splendid and so unique. I love it.

 

[JeanLux]

Wonderful little thing. I remember one I saw in Huanglong Valley that I could literally cradle in my hand - I mean the whole plant AND flower!

I agree Tom! It is Very compact !!!! Jean

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Jean, here is the tiny guy I was talking about. Pretty amazing!

 

[monocotman]

Good luck with it Don,
Mine from the same source lasted just a season,
Regards,
David

 

[PaphMadMan]

That is truly amazing.

 

[SlipperFan]

WOW -- that color!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Good luck with it Don,
Mine from the same source lasted just a season,
Regards,
David

David, I don't know if you were directing this at me, but this isn't my plant. It was growing in Huanglong Valley in northern Sichuan. It is a pretty amazing plant, but I'd say Jean's plant is more typical in size and color. The plants I saw in China averaged about a foot tall and were single flowered.

 

[JeanLux]

Good luck with it Don,
Mine from the same source lasted just a season,
Regards,
David

David, you as an experienced Cyp grower, what do you think you should have done differently with the growing of your calcicola?

I am quite new to growing cyps ...

Jean

 

[monocotman]

Tom- the comment was not directed at you!
This is the only other calcicola from huanglong that I have seen posted.
I do not know what went wrong. The plant seemed to grow well during the summer although it was small and I was surprised when it flowered.
It died down normally and then failed to appear the following year.
It is something that occasionally happens, more so to species than hybrids,
David

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

David, do you still grow any other of the high mountain Chinese species - tibeticum, flavum, etc.? I think the issue with these is their needs are so specialized and narrow that many climates just aren't a good match. Winter wet in particular is a problem, but there are other issues such as warm nights in summer.

Interestingly, the plants at the Huanglong nursery site were thriving when I saw them, and Holger said he didn't do anything special to keep them happy. On the other hand, growing North American Cyps there was nearly impossible with the exception of C. reginae.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Interestingly, the plants at the Huanglong nursery site were thriving when I saw them, and Holger said he didn't do anything special to keep them happy. On the other hand, growing North American Cyps there was nearly impossible with the exception of C. reginae.

Maybe too dry? But reginae seems to like it wet too. Hmmm

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Maybe too dry? But reginae seems to like it wet too. Hmmm

Not dry in summer since that entire season is the monsoon. More like misty rain all summer with highs averaging below 25C and lows around 8-9C. The lack of rain in winter is easily matched in cultivation, but the long unbroken cold isn't unless at a higher latitude. I suppose for many North American species there simply isn't enough warmth in summer for them to grow well. Combine that with a long "dry" winter and they just can't handle it.