Species Orchid, Catasetum, Felt-Capped Catasetum, Mother of Pearl Flower

Per Irene Ngoo in 2016 of Min's Garden @tropicaljungle in Singapore:
"I have had this Catasetum pileatum (Mother of Pearl orchid) ...Read Morefor over four years now. It blooms at least twice a year. This is an amazing and fascinating plant as it produces male and female flowers separately each time, and they look very different from each other. The male flowers have big, lovely petals, while some consider the female blooms downright ugly, like a sack. This is the first time I'm getting both male and female flowers on the same spike - within a month after three sprays of 20 "boys". And there's a new spike showing again! The boy or girl" guessing game will soon start all over again."

On 11/4/2019 Irene Ngoo of Min's Garden @tropicaljungle in Singapore shared:
"Each time my Catasetum pileatum, commonly known as the Felt-Capped Catasetum, starts budding, I'd wonder if I’m getting male or female blooms, and I have been wrong several times. This time round, it's easy to tell: the two spikes look like carrying female blooms, as indicated by the protruding pods. Hope I've got it right although I much prefer the showier male flowers which have a more elongated bud. Which type of flower a Catasetum produces is determined by the conditions under which it grows, and light intensity pays an important role in the "sex expression" of catasetums. Plants that are grown in full sunlight are more likely to produce female flowers, as my eight-year-old pileatum, which is growing on an old Tea Tree in my bright front porch, does. This does not mean, however, that they will not produce male flowers as well. In rare cases, one may get hermaphroditic flowers which exhibit characteristics of both the female and male flowers. Male inflorescences can reach 30cm (12inch) long and carry up to 12 flowers reaching about 13cm (about 5inch) across. Female inflorescences are typically shorter, and have fewer flowers. Male flowers are wax-white, with a creamy-yellow to yellow-green color, while the greenish-yellow female flowers have a lip directed upwards, flakes of both whorls cream, and the lip can have any shade from almost orange to pale yellow. Intriguing, and confusing. Can't wait for the two spikes to open. This catasetum last flowered in September. See photos of my previous male and female flowers."