Bloom Event - Chelonistele sulphurea var. sulphurea

This plant was technically in bloom when I got it, but the flowers were really over and done with. Now, almost exactly two years later as I sit listening to Brahms's fourth racket, the plant is finally back in bloom. I have read in several places that it can be a bit of a sulker after being disturbed. I got it bare root off eBay. Perfectly healthy and not a bad way to receive plants. I usually repot them as soon as I get them anyway, so they might as well be sent bare root and save a bit of cash on the postage costs. Anyway, I potted this plant and left it alone. For two years. It didn't die or look distressed or anything, it just didn't do anything, at least above ground. It must have been establishing good roots below ground, though because it is well and truly welded into the pot. Orchids teach us nothing if not patience.

I must confess that before I got hold of it I knew shockingly little about this species, other than that is a relative of Dendrochilum and Coelogyne, and will happily grow warm which suits my growroom. Out of flower, the plant looks almost exactly like a Dendrochilum (such as glumaceum or cobbianum). The flowers look to me almost excactly halfway between a Dendrochilum and a Coelogyne. They are small, but not so small I can't get a halfway decent photo, and a whole lot bigger than even the biggest Dendrochilum flower. There are ten flowers on the spike, with three more to open at time of writing. The flower spike is produced from the centre of the new growth before the leaves emerge, again, much like Dendrochilum glumaceum does. Only one new growth this time around, but I'm hoping that as the plant grows it will produce more lead growths and hence more flower spikes.

This species is strongly fragrant, though it will be a few days yet before the scent develops fully. The one thing I remember about this one was the scent was still there when I opened the box when it arrived, and it had mostly gone over. I just love how the lateral petals have rolled up into a coil, and those markings on the lip which remind me strongly of Coelogyne ochracea (I'm such a name-dropper, I know!).

As I understand it, there are two subspecies of Chelonistele sulphurea, those being var. sulphurea and var. crassifolia, with var. sulphurea being by far the most common both in the wild (Southeast Asia) and in cultivation. There seems to be very little difference between them to speak of, except that var. sulphurea has one leaf per pseudobulb and var. crassifolia has two.

For anyone who wonders, the stake is simply there to hold that leaf away from the flowers, not to support the plant at all. It must be obvious to regular readers of my blog that I have a bit of a soft spot for species (and hybrids) of Coelogyne, Dendrochilum, and Chelonistele. They seem easy growers and flowerers and don't take up too much space. I can always find space for a couple more of them !