Stanhopea shuttleworthii

Here is an introduction to another beautiful and rather rare stanhopea - stanhopea shuttleworthii. It was named afer famous collector Shuttleworth who was collecting orchids for a firm in Chelsea, England in late 1800's. Shuttleworth found this special stanhopea in 1875,  growing in New Granada ( today Colombia) on the boarder of Reo Magdalena in the state of Tolima and shipped it to England from where it was distributed to various orchid enthusiasts.

To this day this very decorative species continuous to be rare in collections and to see its flowering gives me great pleasure and excitement. The plant itself is of medium size, with smallish bulbs and leaves yet the flowers are large, appearing in pair on each flower spike.This season my plant developed two flower spikes and the one in the picture was the first flowering. The colors of the blooms very vibrant, bright burgundy with many spots on the overlaping petals with white/creamy background. The scent is very strong cinnamon with vanilla tones and lingers for a long time.

Stanhopea shuttleworthii is another beautiful orchid that delights any stanhopea collector who appreciates these stunning marvels of Nature.