2026-07-05, 08:09 PM - Word count:
For this second installment in my orchid series, I asked around a little to see if teams could give me a general idea of the vibes their organization might have. At first, there was very little engagement, but then I bit the bullet and re-joined the SSL server and Cam was nice enough to give me something to go on. So, for our second chapter, we are going to look at the Buenos Aires/Athenai organization. The information that I was given was that CABA is "flaming ball of death." It was not specified whether this is the vibe of the team in the locker room (I did not die in a fire during my time spent in said locker room, for what it's worth), based solely on the logo colors, or an aspirational dream regarding the team's future.
I must begin by saying that orchids as a whole are almost entirely harmless. Most of them are known for being non-toxic even to pets (unlike many commonly-kept houseplants), and while there are a couple (such as Cypripedium orchids) that can cause some skin irritation in humans, they're really about as far from a "ball of death" as you could hope to find (hell, you can even just straight up EAT a lot of them - they don't taste like much but they're pretty in salads and stuff).
All of that to say, I took this direction and leaned hard into the "flaming" aspect instead of the "death" aspect. Given the descriptor "flaming ball," I concluded that the appropriate orchid for the CABA half of this organization is Epidendrum radicans. The epidendrum genus is pretty huge, with species all over the south of North America and down throughout South America, including Argentina, so it seems fitting that one of these orchids would represent Buenos Aires. E. radicans itself is not specifically found in Argentina but when you see the aesthetic, you will see why I said "eh, close enough."
At Canadice's request, I'm including visuals in this installment. Here's the orchid in question!
![[Image: 6ur9SnW.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/6ur9SnW.jpeg)
As you can see, the colors are pretty perfect for CABA. Beautiful fiery orange and gold, and the flowers even grow together in clusters one might be forgiven for describing as a "flaming ball." I can't tell you whether it fits the team's personality, but I can tell you that epidendrum orchids in general have a reputation for being pretty easy-going, resilient orchids that are great for beginners, which in my opinion sounds like a description any team would be happy to apply to themselves.
That brings us to Athenai! I was told that the owlets, as they were referred to, are "adorable fluff balls." There are a handful of orchids that could be described as fluffy, but my mind immediately went to Bulbophyllum medusae. I've become deeply curious about bulbos lately, and I must tell you that there are a number of them that, in the words of a very nice orchid purveyor I spoke with recently, "smell like an ass." Fortunately, B. medusae is not one of those; its scent is fairly light, and what smell it does have is often described as a little spicy-sweet. Or like plastic, depending on who you ask. We'll go with the first one.
Here's what the little guy looks like!
![[Image: DICydVW.png]](https://i.imgur.com/DICydVW.png)
As you can see, it's pretty fluffy. And in my opinion, it is adorable (I love the weird little guys of the orchid world, and there are SO MANY of them). It is not from Greece, nor anywhere even close to Greece, but I'm going to let that slide for the aesthetic. (It's actually found in Thailand, Malaysia, and other places in that same general area). As far as the temperament of the orchid, this one can be a little challenging to cultivate at home, because it is pretty picky when it comes to humidity. It likes a LOT of humidity, which is hard to maintain unless you're actively trying to (not impossible, but most people aren't in the habit of keeping plants they have to refill a humidifier for twice a day). It likes light, but definitely NOT direct sunlight (many orchids are like this, they need light but will be scorched by direct sunlight). You also can't just keep it in a greenhouse without some temperature adjustment because it requires a day-night temperature differential in order to bloom.
This is all a lot of detail, but I think it is a pretty good allegory for a minors squad because the art of managing a minors team is a little more touch and go than the majors half (in my personal opinion). You have to be careful with your prospect pipeline, you have to tend to it and pay a little more attention to it because it often will not run itself the way a majors squad sometimes does once it is stable and established.
Thank you for reading this second installment of this deeply serious and important series. Once again, if you'd like to see your team featured here, please send me any information you think I would find useful in this endeavor.
I must begin by saying that orchids as a whole are almost entirely harmless. Most of them are known for being non-toxic even to pets (unlike many commonly-kept houseplants), and while there are a couple (such as Cypripedium orchids) that can cause some skin irritation in humans, they're really about as far from a "ball of death" as you could hope to find (hell, you can even just straight up EAT a lot of them - they don't taste like much but they're pretty in salads and stuff).
All of that to say, I took this direction and leaned hard into the "flaming" aspect instead of the "death" aspect. Given the descriptor "flaming ball," I concluded that the appropriate orchid for the CABA half of this organization is Epidendrum radicans. The epidendrum genus is pretty huge, with species all over the south of North America and down throughout South America, including Argentina, so it seems fitting that one of these orchids would represent Buenos Aires. E. radicans itself is not specifically found in Argentina but when you see the aesthetic, you will see why I said "eh, close enough."
At Canadice's request, I'm including visuals in this installment. Here's the orchid in question!
As you can see, the colors are pretty perfect for CABA. Beautiful fiery orange and gold, and the flowers even grow together in clusters one might be forgiven for describing as a "flaming ball." I can't tell you whether it fits the team's personality, but I can tell you that epidendrum orchids in general have a reputation for being pretty easy-going, resilient orchids that are great for beginners, which in my opinion sounds like a description any team would be happy to apply to themselves.
That brings us to Athenai! I was told that the owlets, as they were referred to, are "adorable fluff balls." There are a handful of orchids that could be described as fluffy, but my mind immediately went to Bulbophyllum medusae. I've become deeply curious about bulbos lately, and I must tell you that there are a number of them that, in the words of a very nice orchid purveyor I spoke with recently, "smell like an ass." Fortunately, B. medusae is not one of those; its scent is fairly light, and what smell it does have is often described as a little spicy-sweet. Or like plastic, depending on who you ask. We'll go with the first one.
Here's what the little guy looks like!
As you can see, it's pretty fluffy. And in my opinion, it is adorable (I love the weird little guys of the orchid world, and there are SO MANY of them). It is not from Greece, nor anywhere even close to Greece, but I'm going to let that slide for the aesthetic. (It's actually found in Thailand, Malaysia, and other places in that same general area). As far as the temperament of the orchid, this one can be a little challenging to cultivate at home, because it is pretty picky when it comes to humidity. It likes a LOT of humidity, which is hard to maintain unless you're actively trying to (not impossible, but most people aren't in the habit of keeping plants they have to refill a humidifier for twice a day). It likes light, but definitely NOT direct sunlight (many orchids are like this, they need light but will be scorched by direct sunlight). You also can't just keep it in a greenhouse without some temperature adjustment because it requires a day-night temperature differential in order to bloom.
This is all a lot of detail, but I think it is a pretty good allegory for a minors squad because the art of managing a minors team is a little more touch and go than the majors half (in my personal opinion). You have to be careful with your prospect pipeline, you have to tend to it and pay a little more attention to it because it often will not run itself the way a majors squad sometimes does once it is stable and established.
Thank you for reading this second installment of this deeply serious and important series. Once again, if you'd like to see your team featured here, please send me any information you think I would find useful in this endeavor.
![[Image: wqynzVp.png]](https://i.imgur.com/wqynzVp.png)
