Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Trichoceros antennifer

I purchased this plant as an unidentified species from Peru.  The consensus seems to be that it is Trichoceros antennifer.  All the Trichoceros species are insect mimics, most of them mimicking some kind of fly.

This plant produces very hard 2 cm pseudobulbs with a tiny leaf at the top.  The long flower spike, about 30 cm, rises from the base of the pseudobulbs and produces its flower in succession, so that usually no more than one is open at the same time.

The flowers are non-resupinate, that is, they hold their lip uppermost, unlike most orchids which twist their flowers around before opening so that the lip points down.  The picture of the flower that I've posted,  therefore, is not upside down.



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