Sold out

Cynorkis lowiana selfing #2794 and 3907 (approximately 15 seedlings per flask).

The Species: This grows only in Madagascar as a terrestrial and as a lithophyte in evergreen forests at elevations from 770 to 4000 ft. I was given a tuber of this labeled as Cynorkis lowiana. I wasn't sure if this was correctly identified since most sources list this species with 1 to 5 flowers. Johan Hermans has recently verified that it is Cynorkis lowiana. I made seed because it is a charming plant, compact and quite easy to grow and bloom. I find Cynorkis in general much easier to grow and maintain over years than many other terrestrials such as Pleione or Habenaria species. I have included below an image of the blooming plant with a ruler so you can see how compact it is.

Culture: I grow this in intermediate conditions in moderate to moderately bright light. I prefer to grow it in sphagnum moss in a terra cotta pot. Give it ample water and fertilizer during the growing season. As the leaves start to die back in the fall, decrease watering and then stop. I remove it from the greenhouse for the winter and keep it in a shed where the temperature lows are in the mid 50’s. It gets an occasional misting to add humidity over the winter. in the spring when new growth starts to show, I water it from the bottom a time or two until the growth is up several inches and then return it to the greenhouse. I haven't tried it yet in warm conditions, but judging by the elevation it should do very well.

Capsule and pollen parent: Cynorkis lowiana