Pleione Shantung Clone

25 Apr, 2014
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a.k.a. "Hardy Orchid". Purchased this last year - the bulb was plumpy but didn't flower. This year, the bulb became smaller but now it's flowering. I don't understand........

*There's no "pleione" in the botanical names so I chose "Iris Japonica" instead.....but this is NOT Iris Japonica!

Comments on this photo

Meanie

There's a very simple explanation for this;
The pseudobulb (the correct term) had either flowered or tried to flower before you got it. They are monocarpic so they only flower (or attempt to flower) once and then they start to die. However, they start to produce one or more pseudobulbs from the base to replace this one, and it is one of these that has flowered this year. It will plump up, and make more pseudobulbs for next year. Left undisturbed you'll have a good clump in a few years.
Be aware that they are NOT fully hardy though.

27 Apr, 2014