Thank you to those of you who communicated with me directly on sources of plants.
Both Steve Beckendorf and Iris Cohen did suggest that the pollinator is likely a bird. I did want to respond to Iris who also stated in part as follows: "As far as I know, the cruentum group are cool growing (I can't grow most of them in my warm conditions). Many orchids in cool locations where there is not an abundance of insects have evolved bird pollination. Now the experts will tell me if I am all wet about D. cruentum." Actually, I believe that Den. cruentum (from the lowlands of Thailand) and a number of other species from Section formosae are warm growing. Baker and Baker report nighttime minimums of 70 degrees throughout the year in its native habitat and that it appears to do well in Bangkok, which is warmer. This coincides with my experience. I keep it in a warm greenhouse where temperatures do not go below 65 degrees at night. I killed my first one many years ago by trying to grow it in a pot in intermediate conditions. It was a beautiful specimen that I obtained from Farnsworth Orchids (Maui, no longer in business) when I first started growing orchids. My two specimens have relatively small flowers (not much more than an inch across). Interestingly, Baker and Baker report the species as being 1.6 to 2.4 inches across, with smaller flowered plants originating in Borneo. The larger size they describe is more consistent with Den. suzukii, sometimes called the Giant Cruentum, which may or may not be a separate species. Again, if there are others with information on the pollinator of this species, I would like to hear from you. Michael A. Corn Seattle, Washington [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
