WOW Sharon what a magnificent flower...good growing! Those little knobs on the back of the 'bucket' are really neat. I think these are such cool orchids - that a flower has evolved such a complex system of pollination is astounding. It's a little sad when we learn in biology that it is precisely these highly specialized species that will disappear first when the environment changes...but I am a little more comforted that we have growers and vendors continuing to keep these plants alive and well in cultivation.

Actually, the pollination process is a bit more complicated. First, the lip has specific anatomy that is fun (if for no other reason that to have useless info) to know. The hooded part of the lip closest to the base of the flower is the hypochile, the part that connects the hood and bucket is the mesochile, and the bucket and distal part of the lip that presses against the column tip is the epichile. The fragrance is produced by oil glands called osmophores and is a thick, waxy oil which the male bees scrape off the surface of the flower and store in special compartments in their rear legs. They actually use the fragrance oil in their mating ritual, attracting females with the fragrance oil. As the bee climbs up the mesochile, up under the hypochile (where the concentration of osmophores is greatest), they loose their grip on the slick, convoluted surface of the flower and fall into the fluid in the bucket, which is just very watery nectar basically. The nectar glands of these flowers are adapted to facilitating the trapping of the pollinator. Anyway, once the bee is int he fluid, it can't fly away, so has to crawl out the flower through the gap between the column and the tightly apressed lip. Once the pollinarium is attached to the bee's back and removed, the stigma becomes accessible. Before the pollen is removed, there is just a slit into the stigma, but after about 12 or so hours, the slit opens and becomes a shelf that scrapes the pollinia off the back of another bee.

It's all a very fascinating contrivance.

-Cj

Hey, Cj, thanks for the clarification! I was sure the whole process was a lot more complicated than my stab at explanation, but I didn't expect it to be this wonderful! Of course, even my simpleminded description draws blank stares from anyone I show the flower to (after they stop laughing). Good to know the "real deal." Thanks again!

Sharon

Weird and wonderful!!!

Good Growing Sharon! That is way too cool looking!~Charm

I can't help thinking these look like alien space ships :) Great growing!
~Jem

An absolutely amazing orchid! Congratulations! Was I dreaming or did I read once that Coryanthes were often found in ants' nests? Presumably this is not part of your culture, Sharon ;-)

yes, they form symbiotic relationships with ants in the wild. They have hollow pseudobulbs.

I give them miracid once every month or so to give them the acid they need. Or just a little coffee grounds on top of the basket.

-Cj

It's really cool and I'm very jealous!

Mine is struggling around here, somewhere!
Some are doing great and others...
Well, not so much!
Scott

Wonderful, and congratulations on keeping it alive!

Wonderful! I love the colour and speckles.
I missed this one, Sharon. Was thinking not long ago that it's a long time since I've seen a Coryanthes on the forum! Do they last as long as Stans? My Stan lasted only 3-4 days, as usual.

Carol

Carol, this one lasted about as long as my stannie, maybe 3 days tops. Usually prime for only the first day, and they go downhill quickly. But worth the wait and short bloom!

Sharon