Pleurothallid-l mailing list

["Horak, David" <DavidHorak@bbg.org>]

We have Pleurothallis colossus here at the Garden (Brooklyn Botanic) which 
came from a collection bequeathed to us in 2008. This is a plant that came to 
the person as a division  from Orq. del Valle at the WOC that year. It was a 
bit scraggly and divided into 3 pieces, two of which we retain and the third  
which went to another individual as a backup. Do we have extras? No, sorry 
folks and it won't be divided any time soon.

Plths. praegrandis is considered a synonym for colossus. As far as I know, it 
is exceedingly rare in collections even if it isn't in nature. I know from 
talking with Juan Carlos and Andrea that they had been trying to propagate it 
from seed but were unable to get them past seedlings of a certain size before 
they would die. Every time I see them, they ask about it. I see that the 
species is offered on their current online pricelist.

We have many of the large Pleuro/Stelis/Acronia here at BBG which grow quite 
well, quickly, and are getting quite large. The colossus, is the largest of 
the group in terms of height but it is much different in terms of how it 
grows. All of them are potted in straight fine bark, watered every day and 
fertilized regularly at the same rate as the rest of the collection. I don't 
consider these to be light feeders but then again I do water every day. The 
colossus is the exception by being  exceptionally slow, only adding three or 
four growths a year. According to Juan Carlos and Andrea it wants cool 
temperatures, good light and a large footprint. All of these are repotted 
annually and on this last cycle I top dressed the colossus with a balanced 
formula Nutricote which is in addition to the regular weekly fertilization. 
The extra nutrition seems to be making a difference and  it is getting taller 
and more vigorous with time. The plant itself is approaching 4 feet in height 
and the leaves perhaps 10 inches or so in length. Unfortunately, I still have 
yet to see flowers though all the other pleuros bloom regularly. I just 
noticed the other day that new growths were breaking so hopefully this will 
be the year it hits that critical mass or gets whatever it needs to bloom.

It would be great to know if there are others out there with the species. 
Anyone?

Best,

Dave Horak


-----Original Message-----

Hello, I'm back in the pleurothallid alliance after a 10 year 
hiatus....focusing on my fish biologist career, but growing orchids silently 
in the background. I've recently become enthralled by the big leaf 
pleurothallids.

I have quite a few, but really would love to get Pleurothallis colossus.
I'm trying to get one from Columbia in February, but we'll see. If anyone 
knows of a source or has a piece for sale or trade, I'd love to chat.

On a related note, I have a Pleurothallis pregrande (spelled just that way) I 
believe it came from Orquideas del Valle. I can find no information on this 
species. Orchid species.com lists a praegrandis as a synonym of colossus....I 
honestly haven't had mine long enough to see flowers or if it will assume 
'colossus' proportions. Does anyone else have experience with this species 
(colossus or pregrande).

Glad to be back, Bill Pinnix
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