Which Restrepia to get?

[TyroneGenade]

Hi all,

I currently have Restrepia antennifera, guttulata and trichoglossa (the latter is still pushing out flowers, it started in December!). Ecuagenera is coming to SA in September and have a substantial list of plants available:
aristulifera
brachypus
condorensis
contorta
cuprea
cymbula
elegans
ephippium
falkenbergii
iris
lansbergii
mendozae
muscifera
purpurea

I would like to have Restrpia in bloom through out the year and would like to get some information regarding flowering time. Here is my flowering periods with the species I currently have based on the S. hemisphere flowering time. Where would elegans fit in? I'm really interested in brachypus and it slots in as shown (in theory).
S. Hemisphere/N. Hemisphere
January/July: R. trichoglossa (cuprea) (falkenbergii)
February/August: R. trichoglossa (cuprea) (falkenbergii)
March/September: R. trichoglossa (cuprea) (falkenbergii)
April/October: (elegans) (cuprea) (falkenbergii)
May/November: (elegans) (cuprea) (falkenbergii)
June/December: (brachypus) (elegans)
July/January:
August/February:
September/March: R. antennifera & guttulata
October/April: R. antennifera & guttulata
November/May:
December/June: R. trichoglossa (brachypus)

IOSPE says brachypus flowers in winter and summer. Just for a few weeks or does it flower over a month or more? IOSPE says elegans flowers from fall to early winter so that is nice. Is my guess for cuprea about accurate? Which species would flower from July--September/January--March? Can anyone suggest some species which would bloom over those time periods?

 

[Hera]

I have dodsonii, antenifera and cuprea. Cuprea blooms constantly throughout the year. It would be my recomendation.

 

[Rick]

I agree about cuprea. It's my favorite.

It's also one of the biggest flowers of the genus too.

It's a bit more sensitive to warmer temps than some of the others, but still a lot more tolerant than any Dracula.

Definitely put it at the top of your list.

 

[TyroneGenade]

Thanks for the advice. R. cuprea it will be!

 

[nikv]

My first thought before seeing the other replies is cuprea. So another vote in that column.

 

[NYEric]

Buy them all! :crazy:

 

[likespaphs]

if i hadn't seen a photo of a Restrepia cuprea in a {i think} brooklyn botanic garden book of orchids and if it hadn't looked to me so much like a caricature of a chicken that i giggled, i probably wouldn't be growing orchids today

 

[cnycharles]

you are growing orchids because you giggled?

 

[Rick]

Buy them all! :crazy:

There's a few that are relatively big plants for Restrepia (muscifera types I think) but have bitty flowers on the backside of the leaves. Very disappointing, but maybe rewarding to a true Restrepia connoisseur.

Then about 1/3 all look like trichoglossa/antenifera (yellow w/red stripes), I don't know how many of those you can take after getting one of them. The landsburgii/dodsonii theme is also common (pink with intense red spotting), so pick the available one for you and it will cover another 1/2 dozen species.

 

[likespaphs]

yup, kinda

i agree with Eric though

 

[TyroneGenade]

Thanks for the advice.