Pretty picture: Psychopsis Kalihi alba 'Green Valley'

Not that I hate Psychopsis or anything, but I often feel like I should appreciate them more than I do. I like unusual, and they're unusual. I like striking patterning; they've got striking patterning. They often strike me as not quite finished, though. Is it just me?

Haven't seen this particular flower before, but we saw the non-alba form of Psychopsis Kalihi last year, as well as Psychopsis Mariposa 'Twins', which is Kalihi x Psychopsis papilio. 2012 had another mostly-yellow Psychopsis, Mendenhall alba 'Yellow Butterfly.'

Psychopsis Kalihi = Psychopsis krameriana x Psychopsis papilio (Ref.)

Pretty picture: Psychopsis Mariposa 'Twins'

The tag said 'Twin,' but the internet says it's 'Twins,' and PATSP is on the internet, so.

If this looks familiar, that's probably because it's the offspring of a previous orchid, Psychopsis Kalihi.

If it looks shitty, blame the brown background and the other orchids in the shot -- this was a bear of a photo to edit. I stopped editing not because I felt I'd gotten the best photo I was going to get, but because I was too frustrated with it to continue.

Psychopsis Mariposa 'Twins' = Psychopsis papilio x Psychopsis Kalihi (Ref.)

Pretty picture: Psychopsis Kalihi

I've only written about one previous Psychopsis, a very different-looking one (here), which was from the 2011 show. When I did, a couple people said in the comments that they really loved the genus, which surprised me.

Not that there's anything especially wrong with the genus; I appreciate that they're at least weird, and sometimes they're colorful (the previously-posted one is, anyway; I'm not so much into this brown-and-yellow thing). It had just never occurred to me that they might be beloved, you know? Not sure I get it even still, and I can't say I aspire to grow one someday, but it at least got me to take another look at a genus I'd dismissed as being pointlessly weird.

Wikipedia says that the flowers look like "large butterflies with brightly colored bodies . . . , very long antennae-like petals, and outspread wing-like dappled yellow and brown sepals." Not sure I see that in this particular case, but I definitely see it in the photo of P. papilio they used for the article, and the photo of P. krameriana at Wikimedia Commons. Though it's odd that Kalihi isn't shaped like either of those species, since it's their hybrid.

Psychopsis Kalihi = Psychopsis krameriana x Psychopsis papilio (Ref.)

If anyone missed the previous post, I'm ever-so-slowly gearing up to sell some cuttings from the Schlumbergera seedlings. If you have any interest in this, check that post out. Demand has been a lot lower than I was expecting, but even so, people have called dibs on all the available cuttings of 023A "Stoked" and 088A "Cyborg Unicorn" already. So, if you found one of the seedlings interesting enough to want one yourself, you should speak up sooner rather than later.

Pretty picture: Psychopsis Mendenhall alba 'Yellow Butterfly'

Since I last complained about my orchids, I've lost two more (both Potinaras). For those keeping score, that means I've attempted eleven orchids and lost six, with two more deaths likely by May:

Ludisia discolor. (Jun 2007 - Nov 2009; overpotted. There might also have been some problems with the mix I repotted it into.)

Dendrobium 'Karen.' (Oct 2008 - Dec 2011; potting medium likely too water-retentive)

Brassolaeliocattleya Helen Brown. (Oct 2008 - STILL ALIVE!)

Dendrobium "Humphrey Bogart"¹ (Oct 2008 - STILL ALIVE!)

Paphiopedilum Supersuk 'Eureka' x Paph. Raisin Pie 'Hsinying' x Sib (Nov 2008 - April or May 2012²)

Phalaenopsis NOID (Mar 2009 - STILL ALIVE!)

Oncidium NOID. (May 2009 - Aug 2009; attempted salvage of rootless plant from work that unsurprisingly didn't take)

Sophrolaeliocattleya Hazel Boyd 'Debbie.' (Dec 2010 - May 2011; thrown out due to scale)

Potinara Eye Candy 'Mellow Yellow.' (Dec 2010 - Feb 2012; slow death over a long period for no obvious reason)

Potinara Eye Candy 'Sweet Sensation.' (Dec 2010 - Feb 2012; also a slow death over a long period for no obvious reason)

Oncidium Tsiku Marguerite NN #1 (Dec 2010 - any day now; another long slow decline, and the plant is down to about 1/6 of its original size and number of pseudobulbs)

And the few plants that have survived aren't interesting to look at; the only orchid to ever rebloom for me is dead. So I am getting pretty disgusted with the Orchidaceae, to the point where I was seriously considering skipping the Illowa orchid show this year. It's just going to be all the same plants as last year, I can't afford to buy any of them, if I could buy plants they'd just die on me anyway, the pictures often don't turn out that well and need a lot of after-the-fact manipulation, and maybe I just don't want to look at fucking orchid flowers this year.

But. We're going to go anyway, assuming cooperation from the weather, vehicle, and venue, because:

1) I'll probably be less mad by then. (It's scheduled for March 10, at Wallace's Garden Center in Bettendorf, IA; see their website for directions.)
2) There will be other plants there too -- probably not very many, but enough. (Last year I saw my first Pinguicula!)
3) I haven't been to Wallace's in forever, and feel bad about it.³
4) I can't really pass up an opportunity to take 30-40 posts' worth of blog photos in a single day, however I may feel about the subjects.

So if you're there and you see a guy taking close-up pictures of the flowers with kind of a sour, contemptuous expression on his face, say hi! Just don't start talking about how wonderful and easy orchids are to cultivate, or I will have to kick you in the shins.

Unsolicited orchid-troubleshooting advice will also result in shin-kicking.

And I will probably be wearing boots.

In fact, you're probably best not to mention the orchids at all. I realize this will be difficult under the circumstances, but do say hi anyway.

-

¹ My name for it; it was a NOID.
² I know the approximate date because if it survives to April or May, I'm sending it to someone else. Details to be announced.
³ I like them; we just don't have compelling reasons to go to the Quad Cities very often.