Ricardo's Blog, orchids, parrots, fish and people

Myrmecophyla (Schomburkgkia) tibicinis, an ant orchid from Central America

Myrmecophyla tibicinis has a geographical distribution that ranges from Mexico to Colombia. It inhabits dry areas where it grows both on trees and on rock. The pseudobulbs of this species are hollow and it is said that in the wild there are always ant colonies inhabiting them. It is reported that the pseudobulbs of this plant can reach up to 18 inches long and have two to five short coriaceous leaves on top.

A few years ago I was given a rootless three pseudobulb division. I planted it in a custom made basket with no media (I was afraid that the plant would be attacked by an insidious disease but more on this below). I tied the plant to the basket and watered and fertilized it like I do the Cattleya in my collection. In due time the plant produced a new growth, after that it engaged in the copious production of roots, it repeats this cycle every year one or two times. The plant did well in the basket but in due time it became clear that it would never reach its full potential with no media from which to draw moisture and fertilizer. I then added some large, hard chucks of bark to its media, which the plant eventually enveloped with its roots. However since it had started as a completely rootless division it took several years to achieve enough strength and size to bloom.

My plant produces two a id="jqeasytooltip29 class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/83-growths" data-tipcontent="

Any new shoots that emerge, whether they be pseudobulb, rhizome, leaf, stem, inflorescence, or root.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">growths a year and sometimes tries to bloom from both of them. Unfortunately the a id="jqeasytooltip9" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bnch/glossary/terms-phrases/21-inflorescence" data-tipcontent="

The flowering portion of the orchid, in whatever of the various general arrangements, such as raceme, panicle, or solitary scape; often loosely referred to as the 'spike.'.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">inflorescences of this orchid seem to be attractive in the extreme for some gnawing insects and I have lost a few to them. Now I routinely give a slight dusting to my plant with some insecticidal dust to prevent any such critter from destroying them. Given that these plants are hung on the shade house from wires about four feet long and the The flowering portion of the orchid, in whatever of the various general arrangements, such as raceme, panicle, or solitary scape; often loosely referred to as the 'spike.'.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">inflorescences are sometimes four feet long, the critters that eat them seem to be so highly motivated as to travel all this distance to munch on the tender The flowering portion of the orchid, in whatever of the various general arrangements, such as raceme, panicle, or solitary scape; often loosely referred to as the 'spike.'.

a id="jqeasytooltip9" class="jqeasytooltip" style="text-align: justify;" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/21-inflorescence" data-tipcontent="

inflorescence tip. But use any insecticide with extreme care, and follow all instructions to the letter. I, in particular have to be very careful as my shadehouse if full of fish tanks that could become contaminated with insecticide which would kill my beloved fish.

The flowers open widely in the morning but become floppy during the hottest hours of the day. I a id="jqeasytooltip20" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-prases/55-am" data-tipcontent="

Award of Merit. Awarded to orchid species or hybrids scoring 80 to 89 points inclusive on a 100-point scale.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">am not sure if this happens everywhere but it is what happens in my garden. The same thing is done by the flowers of Myrmecophila humboldtii in my garden. The inflorescence keeps elongating and producing flowers for a few weeks.

I have found this plant to be generally problem free and a vigorous grower that can grow into a hernia inducing a id="jqeasytooltip38" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/116-specien" data-tipcontent="

Term usually used to refer to an orchid that has been allowed to grow to great size and floriferousness instead of being divided; also refers to the species that typifies a genus.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">specimen plant. The very long inflorescences can be an annoyance, as the flowers can end up so high up that you practically have to put the plant on the ground to enjoy them. This plant responds well to constant watering and weekly fertilizer during its growing phase. My plant produces very closely spaced pseudobulbs which mean I have to watch carefully when the new growth is forming so that it won’t get trapped in the media or the wire of the basket.

My plant is not growing in full sun, I have it under shade cloth, but one that allows a high percentage of the sunshine to pass through. The sun in my location can be quite harsh on orchids, especially during the dry season, so I almost always give my plants some sort of protection from the sun during the hours surrounding noon and early afternoon. Other Myrmecophyla that I have grown in full sun during the whole day have responded by becoming stunted.

This orchid seems indifferent to the local level of humidity although during the height of the dry season the pseudobulbs can become furrowed from water loss. It gets watered once every week year round, along with whatever it gets from local rainfall.

I have always admired this plant but for many years I was hesitant to include it in my collection. The reason was that I found that in my garden lurked a specially evil and insidious disease to which these plants were particularly vulnerable. What makes this disease (I am not sure if it’s a fungi or a bacteria) exceedingly vile is that it won’t kill the whole plant, only the Common term for a flower before it begins enlarging, although it is also applied to a tiny new growth or leaf.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">buds capable of new growth and a tiny area around them. As a result of this damage the plant won’t grow or flower, but since everything else is ok, it still looks like it is in great shape. I discovered this disease when my plants of Myrmecophila exaltata and a plant of Myrmecophila humboldtii would not grow or bloom for several years in a row. I think I have found the way to stop or limit the damage this disease can inflict on my Myrmecophila. I observed that all the plants that got this disease were planted in fairly water retentive media that was in contact with the stems on which the pseudobulbs sit. By planting my orchids in fairly chunky media and keeping the base of the pseudobulbs a fraction of an inch over the media the disease seems to have been controlled. So far tibicinis has not been molested by this dreadful disease.

Of all the Myrmecophyla orchids formerly known as Schomburgkia this is probably the one that is under the wider cultivation.   There is hardly any serious local orchid grower that doesn’t have at least one plant of this species. There are also a number of hybrids of various sizes and colors that occasionally make their appearance at orchid shows but they don’t enjoy a fraction of the popularity of the Myrmecophila parent. I have seen plants of this species of all sizes in the collections of various orchidists which makes me think that there is some variation on the plants available locally. But all the flowers I have been able to examine were pretty similar regardless of the size of the plant that produced them.

In conclusion,if its minimum requirements of temperature and watering are met, this plant can survive almost every vicissitude that ordinarily sends other orchids to that great pot in the sky. I have seen them growing equally vigorously in the hands of skilled growers as well as those of rank amateurs.

If you have any question just leave it in the comment section under the article.

Posted by Ricardo Valentin

http://ricardogupi.blogspot.com/2011/02/myrmecophyla-schomburkgkia-tibicinis.html

Ricardo's Blog, orchids, parrots, fish and people

Myrmecophyla tibicinis, cultural notes

In areas with warm weather Myrmecophyla tibicinis does very well when grown in a basket or mounted on a tree.   This orchid can grow in full sun, in fact it needs a certain amount of full sun exposure or it will not bloom.  Keeping this plant in too much shade is a common error among beginners.  However, this plant seem to grow better when is given a slight bit of shade from the sun when it is at its most intense, which locally is between the hours of 11 am and 4 pm.

This orchid can produce a huge a id="jqeasytooltip38" class="qeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/116-specimen" data-tipcontent="

Term usually used to refer to an orchid that has been allowed to grow to great size and floriferousness instead of being divided; also refers to the species that typifies a genus.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">specimen plant if well cared for.  In one of the photos below you can see a truly humongous a id="jqeasytooltip38" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossry/terms-phrases/116-specimen" data-tipcontent="

Term usually used to refer to an orchid that has been allowed to grow to great size and floriferousness instead of being divided; also refers to the species that typifies a genus.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">specimen in a Ceiba pentandra tree in the St. Croix botanical gardens.   To me the key to have a large and a id="jqeasytooltip27" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/lossary/terms-phrases/79-floriferous" data-tipcontent="

Term used to describe a plant that flowers freely.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">floriferous plant, aside from the right level of sun exposure, is giving it the proper fertilizing when it is producing new pseudobulbs.  This plant should be given a high nitrogen fertilizer when it is growing to help it produce full sized pseudobulbs.  Small, undersized pseudobulbs will not bloom.

(Photo-left: growing on trunk of palm tree in full sun.  Photo-right: spikes stretching to full length before blooms set)

The plant growing mounted in a palm trunk, in full sun all day long, produces relatively short inflorescences.  The plant in the basket, which is growing under an avocado tree with a comparatively open canopy, produces the typical long inflorescences.  The inflorescences grow until they emerge from the canopy of the avocado tree, then they produce the flowers.

Posted by Ricardo Valentin at http://ricardogupi.blogspot.com/2015/05/myrmecophyla-tibicinis-cultural-notes.html

Certain tropical orchids are well-suited and often used as landscape subjects in frost-free areas of Florida. Schomburgkia tibicinis (right) was one of them. I say "was", because although the orchid is still around, the name isn't. I will use it in this personal tribute until farther down the page when we deal with new order of taxonomy.

I came to West Palm Beach forty years ago. I was growing a few orchids then and remember seeing a fairly robust a id="jqeasytooltip46" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/116-specien" data-tipcontent="

Term usually used to refer to an orchid that has been allowed to grow to great size and floriferousness instead of being divided; also refers to the species that typifies a genus.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">specimen of Schomburgkia tibicinis growing high on a Royal Palm tree at Hennegan's Garden Center on State Road 80. In those days I had thought most orchids were of a delicate nature and wondered about this orchid with a long The flowering portion of the orchid, in whatever of the various general arrangements, such as raceme, panicle, or solitary scape; often loosely referred to as the 'spike.'.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">inflorescence that was growing in nearly full sun. Years later, I would see this species growing in a similar, but even brighter, setting in its a id="jqeasytooltip8" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/19-habitat" data-tipcontent="

The type of place in which a plant normally grows.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">habitat in Belize. By that time I was a far smarter orchidist and knew about the schomburgkias' preference for bright light. My early exposure to this dramatic orchid gave me an introduction to the diversity of orchids and Schomburgkia tibicinis has always been a favorite. I learned about the orchid's association with ants that its current name reflects. Although we never saw ants taking up residence in hollowed-out An old pseudobulb behind the part of a sympodial orchid that is actively growing. Although there may be no leaves the presence of undamaged 'eyes' is a sign that growth is possible.

a id="jqeasytooltip0" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/8-backbulb" data-tipcontent="

backbulbs, it seemed that ants always showed up on the a id="jqeasytooltip10" class="jqeasytooltip" ref="index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/21-inflorescence" data-tipcontent="

The flowering portion of the orchid, in whatever of the various general arrangements, such as raceme, panicle, or solitary scape; often loosely referred to as the 'spike.'.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">inflorescences of flowering plants. I wondered if there were some quality to the sugary nectar on the flowers and pedicels that had a special attraction for ants, preparing the relationship for future housing. As with that other species found in Belize, Coryanthes macrantha, the orchid provides the shelter and the ants provide the defense. I also learned the folklore; the dried-out pseudobulbs are used as toy horns by native children, giving the orchid the common name, "cow horn orchid". I have always been drawn to orchids that have a history as well as a pretty face and Schomburgkia tibicinis fills the bill nicely. I picked up my first Schomburgkia tibicinis from a long-gone local business called Quiet Place Nursery. They were a small orchid firm behind a busy intersection in Lake Worth. There was nothing but white sand underneath the benches and one thin layer of shadecloth above the plants. Those orchids that weren't mounted were potted in cypress mulch topped with Osmacote. As the owner Marie explained, "Maybe these plants are grown a little tough, but we don't have to worry about people taking them home and killing dainty little things. If they'll grow here, they'll grow anywhere."

There are many other fine ant-associated schomburgkias to know and grow. The Kew Monocot Checklist shows ten species, four varieties and one A hybrid that occurs in the wild without the help / interference of humans.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">natural hybrid. Some of these can be found in the trade and are popular among hobbyists, especially those living in mild climates. Schom. thomsoniana and Schom. humboldtii are popular on their own with the former being a parent for a number of successful a id="jqeasytooltip35" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glosary/terms-phrases/86-intergeneric" data-tipcontent="

Between two or more genera, usually referring to the hybridization that occurs therein.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">intergeneric hybrids; Recchara Adele King (x Blc. Waikiki Gold) and Schombocattleya Trudy Fennell (x C. guttata) being awarded examples. At opposite ends of a id="jqeasytooltip10" class="jqeasytooltip" ref="index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/21-inflorescence" data-tipcontent="

The flowering portion of the orchid, in whatever of the various general arrangements, such as raceme, panicle, or solitary scape; often loosely referred to as the 'spike.'.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">inflorescence length; Schom. brysiana is best used as a garden subject unless you have a high greenhouse roof, while Schom. wendlandii with its unique non-a id="jqeasytooltip4" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/105-resupinate" data-tipcontent="

In orchids, those plants whose flower lips are positioned lowermost relative to the inflorescence axis; the vast majority of orchid flowers are resupinate.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">resupinate flowers and comparatively short inflorescence is most suitable for greenhouse growing.

The genus Schomburgkia was established by Lindley in 1838 with the type species being Schom. crispa. That species has not much in common with the ant orchids yet up until recently, was still a Schomburgkia. The name honors Moritz Richard Schomburgk, a German-born gardener and plant collector who went on to become the director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden in 1865. Despite Richard being the honoree, it was his older brother Robert Hermann Schomburgk who dragged his little brother along on his second British-sponsored boundary-mapping expedition to British Guiana (1840-1844). There was also a middle Schomburgk brother named Otto who emigrated to Australia with Richard in 1849. Although Veitch reported that Robert discovered the type for the genus, this is reflected nowhere in today's A system of naming; see 'binomial nomenclature.'

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">nomenclature. As a matter of fact, of the eight species in the Kew Monocot Checklist bearing the Schomburgk name, all are attributed to Robert Hermann and only one was an orchid. That single orchid species is Sobralia elisabethiae R.H.Schomb. Schomburgkia humboldtii (left), described by Reichenbach in 1856, acknowledged the Schomburgk brothers long-standing friendship with the great naturalist and explorer, Alexander von Humboldt. As a note of trivia, it was Richard Schomburgk who discovered that Victorian rage, the giant waterlily, Victoria amazonica, described as Victoria regia by Lindley in 1837.

We have never grown what were, until recently, considered the "true" schomburgkias; those from South America. Some grow them successfully here in South Florida but I suspect many of them are from elevations higher than the ten-foot average across most of the southern part of the peninsula. Our summer night temperatures never go below 75° F. This group would include the type for the genus, Schom. crispa (now Laelia marginata (Lindl.) L.O.Williams) and many fine orchids such as Schom. undulata, Schom. rosea and others. For years there has been confusion, differing opinions and rumblings about changes in Schomburgkia and Laelia so we can't say we weren't forewarned. Withner, in his 1992 Volume III of The Cattleyas and Their Relatives had not yet reached the conclusions that today's taxonomists have. He kept a slightly enlarged concept of Schomburgkia that included the South American species, the ant-associated species, and one Mexican (Guatemala, Honduras too) Laelia: L. superbiens. This is not so odd because the Mexican species has been passed around genera like a hot tamale, having visited Cattleya, Laelia, Schomburgkia and even Bletia. Withner was sharp enough to deduce that the Mexican Laelia anceps was different enough from the Colombian Schomburgkia splendida to not put them in the same genus. But today's taxonomists, who are heavily vested in DNA evidence as the irrefutable truth, have indeed lumped the South American schomburgkias into the same genus as the Mexican laelias - Laelia. Although I a id="jqeasyooltip23" class="jqeasytooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/55-am" data-tipcontent="

Award of Merit. Awarded to orchid species or hybrids scoring 80 to 89 points inclusive on a 100-point scale.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">am happy to see such a pretty name preserved (Laelia, named after one of the Vestal Virgins), I expect that some time in the future we may see this genus spilt because of floral and vegetative characteristics of certain species.

So the genus Schomburgkia is gone. The South America species have moved north to Laelia and the ant-lovers are now in the genus Myrmecophila. Withner addressed the latter move even though he himself used Schomburgkia for all of them in vol. III: "The choice of using the segregate genus (Myrmecophila) for the ant-inhabited taxa, or keeping them altogether within Schomburgkia, seems to me a relatively arbitrary one". He goes on to propose keeping them all in Schomburgkia and dealing with the differences at the sub-generic level. Now there's a thought that appeals to me. I always liked Pabst & Dung's revision of Brazilian laelias (Orchidaceae Brasiliensis, vol.I, 1975). They presented a group of orchids that had some things in common (Laelia), yet some differences (Cattleyodes, Hadrolaelia, Parviflora, Microlaelia) - sections within the genus.

I suppose I will get used to it, but only if name changes stop coming so rapidly. I for one will be happy to say goodbye to those silly hybrid genus names from the everything-in-Sophronitis days, like Thwaitseara. But I will miss hearing the rich guttural sound of Schomburgkia (or as one friend pronounced it, Schromburgkia). The name itself holds a special magic for me; remembrances of my early days as an orchid grower when every new orchid discovered was a source of excitement. I'll miss hearing the call of the Schombocat as I console myself watching ants crawl up and down the four-foot infloresence of a Myrmecophila tibicinis next spring.

Schomburgkia rosea Linden ex Lindl. as pictured in Lindenia (above left). Today it is known as Laelia rosea (Linden ex Lindl.) C.Schweinf. -- "It is difficult to point out the differences between these species (Schom. rosea, undulata, splendida, crispa, schultzei), for they reside in details of the a id="jqeasytooltip13" class="jqeasyooltip" href="/index.php/the-potting-bench/glossary/terms-phrases/25-lip" data-tipcontent="

A modified petal of the orchid flower specialized to aid in pollination and different than the other petals. The orchid labellum.

" data-tiptheme="tipthemeflatdarklight" data-tipdelayclose="500" data-tipeventout="mouseout" data-tipmouseleave="false">lip and in the general aspect or the plant and inflorescence". Pedro Ortiz, Native Colombian Orchids, vol. 4.
 

Greg Allikas - September 2009

References:
Withner, Carl. 1992. The Cattleyas and their Relatives, Volume III. Timber Press. Portland
Menezes, L.C 1995. Laelia purpurata. Expressao E. Cultura. Rio de Janeiro.
Linden, J., Linden, Lucien, Rodigas, E.M., Rolfe, R.A 1993. Lindenia. Naturalia. Turriers.
Escobar, Rodrigo. 1992. Native Colombian Orchids, Volume 4. Compañía Litográfica Nacional S.A.. Medellin

https://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=171