Zygopetalum Jumpin Jack

These are flowers from my plant of Zygopetalum Jumpin Jack, a hybrid registered by R. Murray in 1996. Like Zygopetalum species, this hybrid has jungly brown and green sepals and petals and a purple and white lip; this hybrid was probably chosen in part for its darker brown and purple colors. If you look closely, you will notice that it sometimes gets confused about which way is down (flowers in the background). Photos of two of the species likely to be part of the genetic background are posted at the bottom. 

This is a fairly large plant - mine currently has 8 cm egg-shaped pseudobulbs each with several long slightly plicate medium green leaves up to 45 cm long and 4 cm wide. Each flower is about 8 cm wide and they last about 5 weeks for me. The plant is vigorous and handsome even when not in flower and it flowers readily. Most Zygopetalum species are native to low and mid-elevation rainforest in Brazil, growing as terrestrials, lithophytes, and epiphytes, and their hybrids are popular houseplants, presumably because they are easy to grow and have spectacular flowers. Many also have a strong scent, variably described as similar to freesia or hyacinth. Mine has a rather weak scent, but it is also very distinctive - it smells to me just like freshly baked acorn squash with perhaps a touch of allspice. Weird. My daughter Zoé named him (and her) Jungle Jim, so that is our (unregistered) hybrid clone name: Zygopetallum Jumpin Jack 'Jungle Jim'. Jeepers!

I grow mine on the windowsill in bark mix in a plastic pot, with medium bright light, fairly wet, intermediate temperature, and no special care. Zygopetalum species and hybrids are reported generally as quite tolerant of growing conditions. If you are an orchid novice, I can heartily recommend them as starter plants - though I would suggest getting one that you have smelled in bloom as their scent varies a lot. I have smelled some that are strong enough to fill a large room and others with no scent at all.

My plant was acquired from Seattle Orchid and is an unnamed clone of this complex hybrid, with both parents also registered as hybrids. Many Zygopetalum species are quite similar in appearance and I did not try to track the parentage of this one all the way back to species. Here are two of the species that are likely part of the parentage:

Zygopetalum maxillare

Zygopetalum mackaii