Mormodes

Mormodes orchids, sometimes called "Goblin Orchids", are relatives of Catasetum. The flowers are asymmetrical, with the lip twisted to the side; breeders try to minimize this, but it's an inherent characteristic of the genus (and I find it interesting). Like related genera, these epiphytes have large, thick pseudobulbs covered with a bract of dead leaves, and with a fan of leaves distributed along their length. Not long after flowering, the plants drop their leaves in preparation for a dry season, and should not be watered until growth resumes unless the pseudobulbs shrivel a lot.

Cycnodes Wine Delight 'JEM' FCC/AOS (Cyc. lehmannii × Morm. sinuata)
(About orchid names)
This cross is a popular intergeneric hybrid with Cycnoches. This plant is highly awarded, partly because its flowers are so symmetrical.

Image courtesy of scott.zona

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When the plants emerge from their dry rest, growth is very rapid; they need to be watered a lot at this time, and fertilized copiously too. After the new growth matures, flower stems will emerge from above one or more of the leaves, usually the lower or middle ones, and the plant will bloom. Some species can produce unisexual flowers that are either male or female but not both; such flowers look different from the usual bisexual flowers, and this behavior is influenced by lighting levels among other factors.

After flowering the leaves will drop and the plant enters its dry rest; it will easily rot if watered too much during this period. The best time to repot these orchids is just as they come out of their rest, as there's lots of root growth at this time. It's also a good time to divide the plant; most commonly people leave one pseudobulb in each pot. Clay pots are most common, as the pseudobulbs can be top-heavy and cause the plant to tip over. The best potting mixes are sphagnum moss and fine fir bark.

They seem to do best with high lighting, about 3000 footcandles, similar to a Cattleya, but will also adapt successfully to lighting levels as low as 1000 footcandles, similar to Phalaenopsis.

Warm temperatures, 75-85°F (24-29C), are preferred. Temperatures should cool off by 10-15°F (6-8C) at night.

They like humidity of 50-70%.

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