Thursday, October 11, 2012

Acianthera bragae

Acianthera bragae, formerly known as Pleurothallis sarracenia is an intriguing miniature orchid.  From Brazil, its thick, channeled leaves are only 2-3 cm long and the flowers the same size.  The plant grows as a rambling mat of leaves and the flowers come in pairs from the base of the leaves.  The flowers are tubular, look like little slugs and the flowers in a pair usually face in opposite directions.  On some clones the leaves are spotted, but mine shows none of the spotting.  It flowers once a year and I grow it on a small mount from which it rambles off in all directions.  I had intended to take more pictures of the whole plant, but the flowers were finished before I got around to it and so I am posting just this one picture.


14 comments:

  1. Esta é maravilhosa, todo dia olho a minha e nada de florir. Parabéns pelo cultivo.
    abraços

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    1. I, too, thinks it's marvelous, but it's too small and insignificant for some people. You would appreciate it, however.

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  2. what is not to love, they look like slugs!!! another "juicy" photo

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    1. Thanks for the comments, Marti. I believe that the old name, "sarracenia," means slug-like.

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    2. Fascinating little plant - but I think Sarracenia is more to do with the Saracens?
      You may find this PDF interesting if the origins of botanical names are something that intrigues you:
      http://thepreppersite.com/uploads/The_Names_of_Plants.pdf

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    3. Thanks for the link, James. I found there and on another site that it's actually named after a James Sarrazan, it's finder.

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  3. Maravilhoso, imagem divina, obrigada por compartilhar.
    Tenho um 2 anos comigo e nada de flores.
    abraços

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    1. Thank you very much for the information as well as the attention to give to my blogs.

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  4. Dear Ron,

    Could you tell me if this orchid can grow in cool to intermediat conditions?
    Thank you for your atention!

    Pedro Suárez

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    1. Hello Pedro! That is exactly how I grow it. Temps range from 50-75F, with a nighttime drop of 5-10 degrees. I also give it very high light, as much as as I am able to give it.

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    2. And when you say "very high light", you mean exposure to direct sunlight?
      Thank you very much for your attention.

      Pedro Suárez

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    3. I grow under lights, Pedro, and was referring to them. The plant is within inches of a bank of 4 48 inch High Output T5 fluorescent bulbs.

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    4. Thank you indeed for the information!

      Best wishes from Portugal,
      Pedro Suárez

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