Clamshell octopus, that sounds like something our of a B-horror flick… but the common name for this species is the cockleshell or clamshell orchid, although we tend to call it the octopus orchid (bläckfiskorkidé) here in Sweden. It is not hard to see why, either name fits the bill. The flowers are about 9 cm tall and are actually quite unique as they are technically displayed upside down. In most orchids the labellum is located below the column, but here the labellum forms a small hood (or shell) over the column. It has a successive flowering style and it can bloom for 6 months or longer, usually with 4-6 open at a time starting in the spring. Mine bloomed for 8 months last year, we’ll see how long it goes this time… we are coming up on 3 months now I think.
Prosthechea cochleata used to be included in the Encyclia genus until recently and I still see a lot of people (incorrectly) calling it that. It is a medium-sized epiphyte that grows from south Florida, through the Caribbean, Mexico and South America, and it actually enjoys the status as the national flower of Belize. It thrives in warm temperatures, but it has no objections to my intermediate growing room either. It prefers even moisture and fertilizer all year and I grow mine successfully in semi-hydro culture using volcanic rocks as media. Apparently you can eat cooked psuedobulbs from this species, but I can’t say I have ever felt compelled to try this…
Absolutely stunning!
Do you know if the “upside-down” fills a specific purpose?
Are the “tentacles” unique to this species? (I mean the “beard” or octopus-arms sloping downwards.)
Thx for sharing with us!
Thanks Marius! 🙂 The “tentacles”, or “octopus arms” are actually the petals and sepals of these flowers and the shape of these vary greatly in the orchid world. I am not sure what the purpose of this reverse display (resupination), but it is quite common in the orchid world, and it is actually a required characteristic of this new genus Prosthechea. During resupination the flowers twist (most often 180 degrees) as they open so that the lip is orientated below the other floral segments. The cool thing is that each flower will orientate itself in relation to its placement on the inflorescence to learn if and how much to turn… The main theory for why they do this is simply to provide the pollinator with a convenient landing pad. Specialized breeders ya’ know… 😉
Your blog is very interesting and informative. I really like the photographs too. Love this guy- I have an alba version of this that is just starting to bloom. Well, I just wanted to say, I like your thoughtful and thought provoking orchid blog!
Thank you very much Delilah! Very nice to hear that you enjoy my blog. 🙂 I have never seen the alba form of this species, but I bet it is beautiful.