I bought a dend (D. hiroshi) a few weeks ago. It had two flowers
giving a magnificent display. The flowers are much bigger than those
on other dends I have had, and look rather like the flowers I had on a
couple minicatts I had, and lost last summer; a superficial
resemblance, no doubt, since the backs of the flowers, and the
structure of the inflorescences, are rather different. It now has four
more developing, and it looks like they're developing in pairs, with it
being likely that one pair will open a week or two before the other
pair. And it looks like there is another new growth (which will
clearly develop into at least one flower), but it is too young for me
to tell if it will yield two flowers or one. Unlike most of the other
dends I have had, the flowers are coming, in each case, out of the node
from which the two top leaves emerged. The vendor says this dend is
not deciduous, and that seems reasonable since the pseudobulbs with the
flowers are rich in magnificent leaves. But I am puzzled because the
only dends I have had that produced flowers from the nodes on the
pseudobulbs were deciduous and produced the flowers from the
pseudobulbs that had lost their leaves. Clearly I have much to learn
about the variability in among dends. And to top it off, it has two
very young pseudobulbs which are actively growing new leaves (each has
a pair at the top clearly young leaves that haven't fully opened and
another pair of baby leaves.

But the main question is, is this going to be a case of sequential
blooming, with the oldest fading as the next pair open, or is it going
to keep the flowers that are presently open until the last are also
open, and then lose them all at the same time?

Cheers,

Ted


R.E. (Ted) Byers, Ph.D., Ed.D.
R & D Decision Support Solutions
http://www.randddecisionsupportsolutions.com/
Healthy Living Through Informed Decision Making

I see Kultana Orchids lists a Den Hiroshi (which has not yet been registered
with the RHS) as Den cruentum x virginii. I'd keep the cross on the tag and
forget the 'name' until its registered. Or better yet, register it yourself
and screw the hybridizer. (kidding)

AFAIK cruentum blooms along the cane and is not deciduous. I know nothing
about virginii.

There should be tons of culture info online about cruentum.

K Barrett

"Ted" wrote in message
oups.com...
I bought a dend (D. hiroshi) a few weeks ago. It had two flowers
giving a magnificent display. The flowers are much bigger than those
on other dends I have had, and look rather like the flowers I had on a
couple minicatts I had, and lost last summer; a superficial
resemblance, no doubt, since the backs of the flowers, and the
structure of the inflorescences, are rather different. It now has four
more developing, and it looks like they're developing in pairs, with it
being likely that one pair will open a week or two before the other
pair. And it looks like there is another new growth (which will
clearly develop into at least one flower), but it is too young for me
to tell if it will yield two flowers or one. Unlike most of the other
dends I have had, the flowers are coming, in each case, out of the node
from which the two top leaves emerged. The vendor says this dend is
not deciduous, and that seems reasonable since the pseudobulbs with the
flowers are rich in magnificent leaves. But I am puzzled because the
only dends I have had that produced flowers from the nodes on the
pseudobulbs were deciduous and produced the flowers from the
pseudobulbs that had lost their leaves. Clearly I have much to learn
about the variability in among dends. And to top it off, it has two
very young pseudobulbs which are actively growing new leaves (each has
a pair at the top clearly young leaves that haven't fully opened and
another pair of baby leaves.

But the main question is, is this going to be a case of sequential
blooming, with the oldest fading as the next pair open, or is it going
to keep the flowers that are presently open until the last are also
open, and then lose them all at the same time?

Cheers,

Ted


R.E. (Ted) Byers, Ph.D., Ed.D.
R & D Decision Support Solutions
http://www.randddecisionsupportsolutions.com/
Healthy Living Through Informed Decision Making

Thanks again, K Barrett,

You have been especially helpful on this latest series of questions I
have had. It is appreciated.

As for whether this is a sequential bloomer, the plant itself is giving
an answer. The largest of the developing flower buds will open soon,
and now the two flowers that are open are fading. They have lost
substance (I assume the plant is recovering some of the resources it
had put into the flowers before dropping reporoductive organs that
failed to fulfill their purpose. My guess is that they will drop about
the time the next flowers open, unless I remove them first.

I am a little frustrated in finding culture information about cruentum,
though, because each time a do a search using cruentum and culture, I
am overwhelmed with pages talking about it being endangered and on how
both it and primary crosses made with it are on one of the CITES
appendices.

Anyway, I don't think I am doing too badly with it as it is one of the
most vigourous plants I have, apart from my irises and lilies in my
garden outsode. In addition to blooming nicely, it is doubling its
size this year. I can't take credit for this, as I have only had it a
month, but still, this is an amazing plant.

Thanks again,

Ted


R.E. (Ted) Byers, Ph.D., Ed.D.
R & D Decision Support Solutions
http://www.randddecisionsupportsolutions.com/
Healthy Living Through Informed Decision Making