New Bletilla with non drooping flowers???

[winwen]

Hi,

one or two yeras ago, I bought this bletilla from P.C.: http://rareplants.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=186&P_ID=3228&numCurrencyID=2
Unfortunately the first flowering stem rottet away on its base before the flowers opened up but the plant is still growing and seems to do fine since. So I await it's flowering next year.
Has someone else here bought this beauty and brought it to flowering? Is the description given by PC -flowers not drooping- really true?

[Maxime_P]

You got sc...ed it is a little bit expensive. I bought mine for less than 20€. I don't really know what they mean by "not drooping", I mean except the color and the size (much smaller plant and flowers), i don't see any big difference with Bletilla striata. Flowering right now, pics of last year blossom.

Here is mine, sold as Bletilla setschuanica (= formosana)





My poor B striata died this year, not the 3 other Bletilla (ochracea, formosana and striata alba)

NB: sorry if the size of the pics is not correct, that's FB ... (I can just let the links)

[winwen]

Hi Maxime,

not drooping means that the flowers do not look tired or collapsed (as the flowers shown in your lower picture).
I think that -since it really may be something new- only plants from the same source should be compared. If it really is B. formosana, it must have a very long flowering-period (2-3 months).
BTW  Bletilla szetschuanica really is not the same as Bletilla formosana!

[Maxime_P]

This is a new or un-described species which originated as Chinese seed, grown on in a Dutch tissue-culture laboratory and subsequently grown in "normal" cultivation for several years.

I bought my plant from a Dutch tissue-culture laboratory  The flowers are rather similar to the pic from Rare plants link (I will take another picture of a flower well opened this year if it's possible)

It was sold as szetschuanica but when mine flowered, I noticed it did not look like the picture I have been shown. The other plant I bought, sold as formosana died frozen so I can't compare the plants from the same source.

I do not know what are the difference between szetschuanica and formosana but according to http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/prepareChecklist.do?checklist=monocots%40%40285121020092041484, they are synonyms, but I am not a botanist at all.

We will see the flowers from your plants to compare