mrhappyrotter
Grand Chupacabra
Papilionanda Joaquim's Smile (Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim × Vanda vietnamica)
I thought it sounded like a pretty neat hybrid. Vanda vietnamica is a species I grow and cherish. I've never grown / bloomed Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim or any of its hybrids. So when I saw a tiny seedling of this hybrid for sale at a relatively inexpensive price from Louisiana Orchid Connection, I decided to give it a try.
It's an interesting outcome. At the time when I purchased it, many years ago, I couldn't find any photos of what the flower would look like so it was a bit of a mystery. More recently, I've seen photos popping up online including some lovely ones on OrchidRoots (https://www.orchidroots.com/display/summary/orchidaceae/100944057/?role=pub).
The flowers start out with a golden tint when they first open, which I love. Then they fade to a very faint pink-white, which is still quite pretty and a beautiful backdrop for the contrasting lip. What I like most is that lip and the overall shape of the flowers, they remind me of Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). In mid morning, the flowers are super faintly scented like Vanda vietnamica, sort of a citrus candy-like scent that reminds me of lemon or orange Pez candies. At its strongest the scent is barely detectable and disappears before long. So, it's one I'd basically say is non-fragrant.
One of my wasp buddies decided to make an appearance while I was photographing, so I included it in some of the pictures. With Vanda vietnamica, the local bees and wasps inundate and quickly pollinate the flowers once they open. In this case, this wasp isn't actually trying to pollinate the flowers, this plant does not seem to attract nectar feeding bees and wasps like vietnamica does as best I can tell. This wasp is looking for meat (i.e. bugs).
As much as I enjoy the plant, it may need to be rehomed at some point in the future. It's quite a bit taller than I had hoped for, which makes it difficult to accommodate indoors under lights. Given the ancestry, I don't have high hopes that it will be as cold tolerant as Vanda vietnamica, so it can't stay in the greenhouse over winter. If it were fragrant, I'm sure I could find a way, but for all intents and purposes, it's not fragrant.
As for growing conditions, I keep this as warm as possible. It really does seem to appreciate the extreme summer heat this year. When it's hot, it gets watered at least once daily and misted several times a day. The shadecloth is 60%, so it seems to be okay with some shade like vietnamica prefers. In winter I bring it indoors under lights and water it once a day or once every other day. Rarely do I try to soak/shower it that time of year.
I thought it sounded like a pretty neat hybrid. Vanda vietnamica is a species I grow and cherish. I've never grown / bloomed Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim or any of its hybrids. So when I saw a tiny seedling of this hybrid for sale at a relatively inexpensive price from Louisiana Orchid Connection, I decided to give it a try.
It's an interesting outcome. At the time when I purchased it, many years ago, I couldn't find any photos of what the flower would look like so it was a bit of a mystery. More recently, I've seen photos popping up online including some lovely ones on OrchidRoots (https://www.orchidroots.com/display/summary/orchidaceae/100944057/?role=pub).
The flowers start out with a golden tint when they first open, which I love. Then they fade to a very faint pink-white, which is still quite pretty and a beautiful backdrop for the contrasting lip. What I like most is that lip and the overall shape of the flowers, they remind me of Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). In mid morning, the flowers are super faintly scented like Vanda vietnamica, sort of a citrus candy-like scent that reminds me of lemon or orange Pez candies. At its strongest the scent is barely detectable and disappears before long. So, it's one I'd basically say is non-fragrant.
One of my wasp buddies decided to make an appearance while I was photographing, so I included it in some of the pictures. With Vanda vietnamica, the local bees and wasps inundate and quickly pollinate the flowers once they open. In this case, this wasp isn't actually trying to pollinate the flowers, this plant does not seem to attract nectar feeding bees and wasps like vietnamica does as best I can tell. This wasp is looking for meat (i.e. bugs).
As much as I enjoy the plant, it may need to be rehomed at some point in the future. It's quite a bit taller than I had hoped for, which makes it difficult to accommodate indoors under lights. Given the ancestry, I don't have high hopes that it will be as cold tolerant as Vanda vietnamica, so it can't stay in the greenhouse over winter. If it were fragrant, I'm sure I could find a way, but for all intents and purposes, it's not fragrant.
As for growing conditions, I keep this as warm as possible. It really does seem to appreciate the extreme summer heat this year. When it's hot, it gets watered at least once daily and misted several times a day. The shadecloth is 60%, so it seems to be okay with some shade like vietnamica prefers. In winter I bring it indoors under lights and water it once a day or once every other day. Rarely do I try to soak/shower it that time of year.
