This month’s post features a combination of common features that taken together make this orchid very unique and uncommon. The three features are bifurcation, ridgeforms and asymmetry. View the two examples, original and annotated below.
In the above example, the sheath divides into two streams with the main stream terminating at the hood. The left hand side of the sheath in the picture (right side of the orchid) splits into two ridgeforms from the originating ridgeform creating two distinct ridgeforms. Both of those ridgeforms fuse about halfway down the right labium to create a single ridgeform again, which then transitions into a hairpin ridgeform with the right labium.
The next examples are pictures of the same orchid showing additional ridgeforms on the right hand side of the picture (left side of the orchid). Additionally, the symmetry line down the center of the sheath and hood is annotated to illustrate why this orchid is asymmetrical. The two sides of the sheath are not mirror images which is the definition of asymmetry.
All of these features taken together make this orchid uncommon and therefore quite unique.
Do you have images of an uncommon orchid feature? Send them to me at Contact and I will post them on this blog if they qualify as uncommon.