The Return of the Medusa

Any plant with the epithet medusa on its label has my immediate attention. Medusa is a name that promises weirdness--fringe, hairs, snaky appendages-- something exceptional.

Habenaria medusa flowers every August in our greenhouses, and it is exceptional, and weird, but without the scariness that the name suggests. The flower's lip has three lobes. The two side lobes are deeply incised and look like fluttery fringe. Each flower has a long spur.

You might think that something so ethereal must be difficult to grow. Not true. It's actually pretty foolproof if you can remember to ease off the watering for a couple of months after the flowers finish. By then the plant has enough reserve stored underground to withstand the seasonal drought that it would receive annually in its native grasslands-- usually lasting several months. In the greenhouse we reduce the frequency of watering from about every four days to about every ten days while the plants are leafless. Our cue to resume frequent watering is the emergence of the new leafy shoot.

A Terrestrial Triptych

I'm forever on the look out for terrestrial orchids of tropical origin that we can display in the Fuqua Orchid Center. The list of commercially available terrestrial genera just isn't that long or varied: Paphiopedilum (Asian Slipper) is, of course, one of our core collections. Phaius (Nun's Orchid) and its cousin Calanthe, wonderful though they are, become the kind of pest magnets that make me grind my teeth. The gorgeous Warrea and Gastrorchis can be elusive in commerce. Ludisia (Jewel Orchid) is for shady corners only. And Spathiglottis (Ground Orchid) is as utilitarian an orchid as you could ever hope to find.

Habenaria, where have you been all my life?

Habenaria rhodocheila

Meet H. rhodocheila, radiant gem from tropical evergreen forests in South China, Thailand, peninsular Malaysia and the Philippines, growing @1100 meters.

Habenaria carnea

H. carnea from 600 m. elevation on limestone in coastal southwestern Thailand. The epithet carnea refers to the flesh-toned flowers.

Habenaria medusa

And the otherworldly H. medusa, who we met earlier, grows @600 m. in Laos, Vietnam and the islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Sulawesi.

Habenaria is, of course, a huge genus of over 500 species occurring in temperate and tropical regions across the globe. The temperate zone species are not so amenable to cultivation. But the three tropical species above are.

The Medusa

Habenaria medusa

It would be fun to assemble an orchid collection consisting of plants with the species epithet medusa, all named for the winged monster of Greek mythology who had snakes for hair. In Habenaria medusa the epithet refers to the abundant and incredibly long lobes of the lip.

Medusa vs. Perseus the Invincible
from the 1960's sword and sandal series, The Sons of Hercules

What other orchids would I choose for this weird collection? Try:
Lepanthes medusa
Masdevallia medusa
Pleurothallis medusa
Cirrhopetalum medusae
Nanodes medusae
Telipogon medusae
Check here for photos.

Now that's a sweet little collection. Okay, so maybe the Telipogon is out of reach, but Habenaria medusa is commercially available and easy to grow. It grows and flowers readily in a peat-based terrestrial mix in 80% shade and warm temperatures. In fall the leaves shrivel, signaling the onset of dormancy. During dormancy we water the still-potted tubers about every two weeks until we see new growth emerge. Easy.

Find out more about this and other Habenaria species here.