Flowers A to Z - Mokara Orchid

Mokara Orchid

Botanical Name :	X Mokara spp.
Common Name :	Mokara Orchid
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	mo-KAR-a
Family Roots :	Member of the Orchidaceae (orchid family). Native to Asia. Common relatives include cymbidium, oncidium, paphiopedilum and cattleya.
Personality :	Classed as a monocotyledon, leaves mostly parallel veined. Flower petals similarly shaped, flowers star-like with reduced column in the center. Stems wiry, 7-15 flowers per stem.
Availability :	Year-round.
Flower Color :	Red, gold, purple, blue, pink, orange and yellow.
Decorative Life :	14 plus days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	High
Ethylene Comments :	Treat with anti-ethylene product.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. Avoid damaging the pollen cap as this begins the wilting process.
Storage Specifics :	Chill sensitive, store at 55-60F.
Tidbits :	This orchid is the result of crosses among three genera (Arachnis x Ascocentrum x Vanda). The "X" in front of the genus name indicates that it is a cross between two genera. It is unknown if the genus name Mokara is botanically correct. Orchids have long been highly sought after, probably for the unusual beauty of their design. Orchid hunters in the nineteenth century collected them by the ton, and chopped down as many as four thousand trees at one time for the Orchids growing on them. As an epiphyte, it is a plant that grows upon other plants but is not parasitic. It obtains its moisture from air. Chilling injury or ethylene damage appears as translucent or dried patches on petals and sepals. See More at Hoogasian Flowers A to Z: http://www.hoogasian.com/FlowersAtoZ.html