Bloom Event - Camaridium cucullatum

I got this plant out of a sale at my favourite orchid nursery. Its a large plant that could really do with either potting on or, more likely, dividing. There are two definite growing points (in this instance I'm not referring to individual gowing points but rather to discrete clusters of growing points), so I should still be able to divide quite easily into two smaller but still quite large plants.  I'm not in any particular rush to do this though, as the plant seems perfectly happy as it is and produces quite a lot of flowers. In case you wondered; yes, it is what most growers would still call a Maxillaria. Plants within the new(ish) genus Camaridium all look quite similar vegetatively, and very different from other splinter groups from Maxillaria (both Maxillaria itself and Braziliorchis), so I guess it makes some sense to split them up. I grow three Camaridium species, cucullatum, atratum and praestans. I haven't flowered Camaridium atratum yet, but C. praestans certainly is similar to C. cucullata from what I remember.

Its not what you'd call the showiest of flowers; its about an inch form top to bottom, maybe a bit more. I very much like it, though, especially as I can't bloom the showier ex-Maxillaria (Picta, I mean you!). Despite it looking like i was a bit premature with the photography, this flower is, in fact, fully open. The upper petals stay swept forward like that (I always think I can see the family resemblance with some species of Cymbidium and Lycaste in these). I love the dark tongue-like lip and the delicate red spotting and striping on the sepals. There is a subtle fragrance, but I find it rather nondescript and you have to really poke your nose in to detect it, anyway. Flowers are produced, one to a stem, from the newest completed pseudobulb just as new growth starts to emerge. Two or more flowers may be produced from one growth, and they are long lasting. They are held below the level of the foliage.

This slightly different angle just helps to illustrate the shape of the flowers, as they are pleasingly three dimensional. Some orchid flowers are rather....flat (points finger at Miltoniopsis this time). I find flowers such as this Camaridium much more interesting.

The plants seem easy going. I grow them under lights where they live in the shade of my larger Coelogyne species and hybrids. Watering is with a spray gun every couple of days. I've no idea if I'm meant to give them a rest period or not. I don't. Warm temperatures and 14 hours of light a day with good air movement seem to suit them well. They also don't seem to be plagued with any pests or diseases which is a bonus. A really good 'species orchid' for beginners like me to make it look like we know what we're doing!