Friday, October 19, 2012

Neofinetia falcata

This is actually my son's plant, though I have a number of different Neofinetias as well.  He does grow it in my plant case and so I suppose that justifies its inclusion here.  He purchased the plant at one of our society auctions and it has flourished.  It is just finishing blooming with two flower spikes, ten flowers and is sending up several new fans of leaves as well.


For those who do not know, Neofinetia falcata is native to Japan and has been extensively inter-breed by them producing all sorts of interesting variations of leaves, roots and flowers, including flowers that are not just plain white like the wild species.  This plant, to our surprise, showed some pink color especially in the long spurs, but does not seem as fragrant as some clones.

This plant is 10 cm tall and the fans equally wide.  The flowers have spurs that are very long and the whole flower is 7 cm from top to bottom.  It is growing in a mesh basket on a mound of live sphagnum, the way many expert growers of this species recommend.  We try to give it a drier rest in the winter when the temperatures are somewhat cooler also.





6 comments:

  1. the slight pink cast is enchanting

    and anyone who knows their Darwin says there is a moth or butterfly with a long tongue to go with this flower

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    1. Linda, maravilhosa, tenho uma ainda pequena, não vejo a hora de ver uma florzinha nela.
      Parabéns pelo cultivo
      abraços

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    2. Hi Marti,
      This spur is only about 2 inches long. The flower connected with Darwin's prediction is related to this but much larger and from Madagascar (this is from Japan). That flower has a spur 12 inches long and Darwin predicted the existence of moth, later found, with a tongue 12 inches long that would be its pollinator. Thanks ever so much for looking.

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    3. Thanks, my friend, for commenting. Appreciate your attention to my blogs.

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  2. Fantastic. I love the Neofinetia falcata. (Some of their hybrids are also really beautiful).

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    1. Thanks, Angel. I have a number of them but don't do very well with blooming them.

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