Zygotoria Midnight Blue ‘Cardinal’s Roost’

In essence Zygotoria Midnight Blue ‘Cardinal’s Roost’ is similar to Zygonisia Cynosure ‘Blue Birds’, in that the growth and foliage is similar and they both flower out of the new growth before it matures.  Where Cardinal’s Roost differs is that it’s a smaller growing orchid and tends to flower quite profusely in our small 105mm pots.  One of my clients is constantly amazed at how her plant just seems to be flowering whenever she looks in her greenhouse.  I tend to agree as my large specimen never seemed to be without a flower on, but sadly one day it needed splitting and repotting so I bit the bullet and cut all the spikes off that were both flowering and being produced.  It would’ve made any orchid grower cry!

One of Midnight Blue’s parents is Pescatoria violacea (syn. Bollea violacea) which is an amazing plant that produces a single flower per each spike (inflorescence) at the base of the leaves.  It is also an orchid that doesn’t form a pseudobulb like most Oncidium Intergenerics or Zygopetalum Intergenerics.  It is quite the oddity to see and grow.

The best way to describe Zygotoria Midnight Blue ‘Cardinal’s Roost’ is prolific.  It likes to stay moist and loves our Coco/Perlite potting mix, but doesn’t like long periods of rain on it’s foliage.  Plants will quickly start to get multiple growths with up to 4 spikes on each.  Each spike may carry up to 8 flowers.  As you can see in the photos my specimen plant (or half of it now!) is happily growing and flowering in it’s new 175mm pot (7 inch).  As this orchid will flower out anywhere a growth comes up it’s hard to actually get a front to photograph, so I’ve taken photos showing the all around nature of its growth and flowering habit.