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Trigonidium obtusum
Maxillaria obtusa is a small epiphytic orchid from tropical South America, about 15 cm tall, known for yellowish to pinkish flowers with purple veins that release a lemon-like scent in the heat of the day. It is grown as a warm, bright houseplant or greenhouse orchid and needs good airflow and a fast-draining mount or pot.
Maxillaria obtusa, synonym Trigonidium obtusum, is an orchid native to tropical South America.
Male Plebeia droryana bees pollinate the flowers by performing pseudocopulation. Bees become trapped in the tubular orchid after being attracted by the sepals or petals of the flower. Two types Maxillaria obtusa flowers exist, one with attractive sepals and one with attractive petals. The flowers are morphologically identical besides the sepals and flowers, and most likely discourage self-pollination by hindering the process of bee learning. Pollination of M. obtusa is unique in the fact that pollination does not only require pseudocopulation but also trapping the male bee. Bees carrying pollinia occasionally revisit the same flower, but self-pollination does not occur. Though pentadecane produces the fragrance of the flower, pentadecane itself does not attract P. droryana bees.
Maxillaria echinophyta · Maxillaria uncata · Maxillaria amplifoliata · Maxillaria crassifolia · Maxillaria petiolaris · Maxillaria aureoglobula · Maxillaria carolii · Cowl Carrying Maxillaria · Crowded Tiger Orchid · Maxillaria desvauxiana · Maxillaria egertoniana · Maxillaria elluziae
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Maxillaria obtusa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
