Catasetum pileatum 'Jumbo Green Gold'

This warm growing species comes from lower elevation forests in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador and has a warm wet season and a short dry season. There are several color forms with red, a pure album form and a green form. This fabulous green form has large flowers from 5"or more with a really fine fragrance. They grow like mad in the summer months so like to be kept on the moist side and well fed. We grow these in New Zealand Sphagnum moss in plastic pots. When the leaves begin falling you can stop feeding and only use clear water during the dry winter moths watering just enough (every 3-4 weeks on average to keep the psedobulbs from shriveling. Once the new growths emerge and you can see new roots develop you can resume watering and feeding. The mericlone seedlings we offer should flower in summer or fall of 2021. This particular clone is a great one with excellent Jumbo flowers. There is a special trigger mechanism on the flower attached to the pollen that once touched will launch the pollen out at nearly 10 feet per second to secure itself to the pollinator. Quite amazing to see the action of a unsuspecting peaceful looking flower.

In High Light the female flowers will form and they look like upside down lady slippers and are smaller. the male flowers produced in shadier conditions are the largest.