mrhappyrotter
Grand Chupacabra
Epicyclia Memoria Norman Wood (Epidendrum magnoliae × Encyclia tampensis)
This persnickety little SH!#@%T is in bloom. Figured I'd post some pics as proof.
I grow both parent species, and both species are pretty easy to grow and bloom in my conditions. I don't understand how such a difficult plant would result from pairing E. tampensis and E. magnoliae, but apparently it has acquired the opposite of hybrid vigor.
In terms of blooming this, it has tried many, many times to bloom. I think I've had 1 prior semi-successful flowering from it over the years. Most of the time the spike blasts, the buds drop, or the flowers open for 1/2 a day before they close (making me think they have a penchant for self-pollination). The growths are slow to develop, they'll straight up rot for seemingly no reason from time to time as well. In case I'm not being clear, this is a problem plant. But it's MY problem plant, so I'll continue to work on my growing skills in case I'm the problem.
I've grown this in different conditions over the years, but since building the greenhouse last year, that's where this plant has lived. I figure E. tampensis and E. magnoliae both handle cold non-freezing winters just fine, so this should as well. The plant is potted, and one improvement to its care that I will consider in the future is mounting it. In terms of light, it seems to favor shadier conditions like E. magnoliae. As you can probably see in these photos, the foliage is heavily tinted purple because I've had it in a bright spot since October and I think it is too bright.
The flowers are only faintly fragrant as best I can tell. Disappointing to be honest, since both parent species are nicely fragrant. I know the scent on E. magnoliae takes some time to develop, so I'm holding out hope that this will get stronger in time
Fortunately for this plant, it's a very small grower, just barely larger than E. magnoliae and it can stand near freezing temperatures, so for now it's secure in my collection and unlikely to go on my downsizing list.
This persnickety little SH!#@%T is in bloom. Figured I'd post some pics as proof.
I grow both parent species, and both species are pretty easy to grow and bloom in my conditions. I don't understand how such a difficult plant would result from pairing E. tampensis and E. magnoliae, but apparently it has acquired the opposite of hybrid vigor.
In terms of blooming this, it has tried many, many times to bloom. I think I've had 1 prior semi-successful flowering from it over the years. Most of the time the spike blasts, the buds drop, or the flowers open for 1/2 a day before they close (making me think they have a penchant for self-pollination). The growths are slow to develop, they'll straight up rot for seemingly no reason from time to time as well. In case I'm not being clear, this is a problem plant. But it's MY problem plant, so I'll continue to work on my growing skills in case I'm the problem.
I've grown this in different conditions over the years, but since building the greenhouse last year, that's where this plant has lived. I figure E. tampensis and E. magnoliae both handle cold non-freezing winters just fine, so this should as well. The plant is potted, and one improvement to its care that I will consider in the future is mounting it. In terms of light, it seems to favor shadier conditions like E. magnoliae. As you can probably see in these photos, the foliage is heavily tinted purple because I've had it in a bright spot since October and I think it is too bright.
The flowers are only faintly fragrant as best I can tell. Disappointing to be honest, since both parent species are nicely fragrant. I know the scent on E. magnoliae takes some time to develop, so I'm holding out hope that this will get stronger in time
Fortunately for this plant, it's a very small grower, just barely larger than E. magnoliae and it can stand near freezing temperatures, so for now it's secure in my collection and unlikely to go on my downsizing list.
