Zelenkoa (lat.Zelenkoa)

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Zelenkoa (lat. Zelenkoa) - a genus of herbaceous epiphytic plants belonging to the Orchid family (Latin Orchidaceae). There is only one plant species in its ranks with the Latin name "Zelenkoa onusta". It grows in the arid regions of South America, delighting fans with its inflorescences of bright yellow flowers.

What's in your name

Since at different times the only species of the genus "Zelenkoa" was described by different botanists, the official Latin name of the plant has synonymous names that can be found in the literature.

In 1862, the plant was described by the German botanist who was engaged in the taxonomy of the plant world, Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (1823-03-01 - 1889-06-05), who assigned the name to the plant - "Oncidium holochrysum".

In 1833, the plant came to the attention of the English botanist, John Lindley (1799-08-02 - 1865-01-11), who named it "Oncidium onustum".

Further analysis of the genetic data of plants showed that along with the similarity with plants of the genus Oncidium (lat. Oncidium), this orchid has a difference from them, and therefore it was isolated as a separate monotypic genus "Zelenkoa".

In the name of the genus, botanists expressed gratitude to an amazing man named Harry Zelenko, who wrote several books about orchids with excellent illustrations. For example, in 2009, his book Orchids: Species of Peru was published, which contains 408 pages and over 1600 colorful photographs of orchids. Moreover, he is personally familiar with orchids, since, after retirement in 2000, he left New York to spend most of his time in his own garden, in which he grows more than six thousand orchids, not for the sake of commerce. His garden is in Ecuador.

The specific epithet "onusta" is translated into Russian by the following adjectives: full, burdened, loaded …

In the literature on floriculture, the abbreviation of the Latin name is used, consisting of the first three letters - "Zel".

Description

Zelenkoa onusta is an epiphytic plant with sympodial shoot growth, living in the dry, harsh conditions of Peru and Ecuador in direct sunlight. This species often chooses a scarce shrub or cacti as its place of residence.

Green pseudobulbs with a purple spot harden in the dry months, and with the arrival of rain or fog, they straighten their tissues, increasing in size and reaching a height of four centimeters. The pseudobulb shape is pear-shaped or ovoid, slightly compressed from the sides. Pseudobulbs gather in dense groups, creating a semblance of miniature plantations, surrounded by numerous whitish or reddish-brown aerial roots.

Lanceolate green leaves are succulent, storing moisture in their tissues for future use. With a leaf plate width of 1.5 centimeters, their length varies from 9 to 14 centimeters.

In summer and autumn, from the base of the pseudobulb, the orchid shows the world hanging peduncles, the length of which is more than twice the length of the leaves. The peduncle bears a racemose rigid inflorescence with numerous (from 8 to 14 pieces) yellow flowers up to 2 centimeters in diameter. The green column stands out in the center of the flower with a red spot and bright yellow wings.

Usage

This type is very popular in indoor floriculture, since it does not require high humidity. Moreover, you should not overuse watering the plants, waiting for the substrate to dry completely before the next portion of moisture.

The lighting should be bright, but the light is diffused. The plant has practically no rest period, or it is very short.

Zelenkoa onusta is often used to create intergeneric hybrid orchid species.