The name may be quite a tongue twister… and it sounds like it could be a creature in a Guillermo Del Toro movie, but this little orchid is really adorable and not the least bit creepy. I think “pusilla” basically means “tiny,” which is a fitting name. I bought this orchid from Schwerter in April of this year and it is now blooming for the first time. The nice thing, beside its willingness to bloom, is how large the flowers are in relation to the plant. The leafspan is only about 6 centimeters and the flower measure a bit over 3 cm. This is actually the second set of two flowers already, and there are several more buds coming.
Psygmorchis pusilla was registered by Dodson & Dressler in 1972. It is a warm growing fan shaped twig epiphyte found primarily across South America at elevations of 500 to almost 1000 meters. Mine lives in the warm vivarium where it enjoys warm humid growing conditions with a daily shower and a weekly dip in a nice nutritious bath (MSU fertilizer). The flowers are so beautiful and cheery, and they last a really long time too. In my estimation this little gem is a must for any warm vivarium.
Edit: The accepted name by Kew standards is actually Erycina pusilla… with a long list of synonyms, including Psygmorchis pusilla. Thanks Petrus for bringing this to my attention.
Hej Karma,
Are you growing this on a piece of cork bark? Also, how did you attach the moss, as well as the hanger part to the bark mount? I have a piece of grapevine wood that i want to use as a mount for my Howeara Lava Burst ‘Puanani’. Just trying to figure out how to secure the hanger part the best way.
I definitely need to add a Psygmorchis to my collection, so pretty!
Yes, it is mounted on a piece of cork. I just put a tiny bit of sphagnum moss on the cork (sometimes a bit on top of the roots as well), then place the orchid on top and finally attach it by carefully wrapping some nylon fishing line around the base of the plant. The less moss the faster the roots get established on the cork, but it also dries upp faster. The nylon line is a little tricky to tie off, but I like that you cannot really see the string and it does not hold water or break down in the humid environment. (One trick is to use surgeons knots.) I have used thin coated floral wire in the past, but have had problems with it rusting and breaking before the plant is established. Other people love that stuff, perhaps the wire I got was a crappy brand… The hook on the back is just some thicker plastic coated metal wire that I have strung through a hole in the cork. I usually just drive a screwdriver through the cork and then feed the wire through… not very sophisticated but it works. Good luck with your projekt! 🙂
Thanks Karma! No, it’s not just you, in regards to floral wire. I used some for a pot that i wanted to hang one of my phals in, and just a couple of days ago, i had to cut it off of the pot because one side of it broke due to rust. Thanks for the encouragment 🙂
Good to know it was not just me. 😉