There was considerable excitement out on the terrace a couple of days ago, because The Squeeze had noticed two very definite flower spikes emerging from a plant that has mostly just sat there for the past couple of years. At first glance I thought it might possibly be Chincherinchee (Ornithogalum thyrsoides) despite the darkish hue of the unopened buds.
On closer inspection, the excitement grew even more, er, excited. I’m pretty sure it is a Cymbidium orchid.
The giveaway is the pseudobulb at the base of the leaves. That’s pretty much diagnostic of Cymbidiums. Where did it come from? I vaguely remember picking up something with strappy leaves from outside one of the big garbage dumpsters a few years ago, in the hope that it might be some kind of bulb. It has sat there all this while, doing nothing but, I presume, growing some new leaves and thriving on our specific form of benign neglect, including a lot of rain this winter. I’ve brought it under cover, to dry out a bit, before bringing it inside to enjoy up close. Since then, a thiurd spike has appeared. Joy!
More later, when the flowers open.
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