Embreea rodigasiana

Huge flowers, mysterious heavy scent reminiscent of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, dramatic color and structure of the blooms and a very close relative of stanhopea’s - this is embreea rodigasiana.

Until 1980’s it was part of stanhopea’s range and then been re-classified in the specie of it’s own.

This one is not an easy orchid to bring to flower - it demands huge amount of water during it’s growing cycle and strongly dislike change of temperature, making it really difficult during our winter time to look after it properly. If it’s growing requirements not met completely  it just refusing to flower - a lot to do with it’s natural habitat of hot, misty, clouded forests of  Colombia and Ecuador.

I am forever learning with this one, trying to find the best conditions for it’s growing and blooming cycle, don’t mind the challenge because the rewards are huge - seeing this dramatic looking orchid in bloom and smelling it’s mysterious scent I can more appreciate Nature for creating such beauty.

Embreea rodigasiana 1

Emreea rodigasiana 2

Embreea rodigasiana 3

Stanhopea gibbosa

Stanhopea gibbosa 1

Stanhopea gibbosa 2

Stanhopea gibbosa 3

Stanhopea gibbosa 4

Stanhopea gibbosa 5

My stanhopea gibbosa finished it’s seasonal flowering not long ago and it’s a delight to see this beauty in bloom.

It’s one of the oldest stanhopea species, first described in Gardener’s Chronicle in 1869 by Reichenbach from plant collector Veitch from Chelsea who imported many plants and orchids into Europe at that time. Stanhopea gibbosa is a beautiful stanhopea , very distinct in it’s colouring and deserves it’s place in any stanhopea collection.

The flowers are of creamy colour with many purple dots all over the blooms and it have darker colour eyes, the scent is very strong herbal/spicy and stays around for a long time, there is no sweetness to the scent - just sharp, bold, strong combination of many spices and herbs, complicating and overpowering.

The plant is of medium size yet the flowers are large and full. Because of our hot and humid weather I had to take pictures of gibbosa very early in the morning, just as the flowers started opening up.

The cultivation of this stanhopea can be a bit tricky, because it have it’s own requirements - it’s native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama and can be found mostly in very wet forests, often close or straight above open water and require copious amount of moisture during it’s growing season.

I am delighted to see this beautiful stanhopea in bloom and as usual marvel at the Nature creating this special orchid.

Stanhopea orchids in the wild

Many stanhopea growers and collectors love to see images of stanhopea orchids growing in the wild.

Unfortunately, not many of these pictures available for obvious reasons - the flowering season is short and a chance to encounter flowering stanhopea in the wild is still just that - a chance.

Also, it seems rather difficult to find large specimens of stanhopeas in nature that we in the cultivated situations are familiar with - insects, animals, bad weather and other elements in stanhopeas habitats contribute to this. Here just a few images that I was able to find of flowering stanhopeas in their natural surroundings.

 Thank you to Eduard Faria, Philip Davison, Luc Rubrecht and all others who was able to share these stunning images with all friends of stanhopea orchids around the world.

Stanhopea wardii

Stanhopea panamensis

Stanhopea cirrhata

Stanhopea insignis

Stanhopea hernandezii

Stanhopea nigroviolacea x self

Stanhopea nigroviolacea x self 1

Stanhopea nigroviolacea x self 2

We are currently in the middle of our summer and many of my stanhopea's blooming at the moment. Our hot and humid temperamental weather seems to bring strong and vivid colors of my stanhopea's and major task right now is to keep them well watered.  And of course, to enjoy their fabulous blooms and scents.

This nigroviolacea x self just finished it's flowering showing off it's huge, majestic flowers and heady, strong vanilla/chocolate perfume. Technically, of course it's stanhopea tigrina var nigroviolacea and this clone displaying clear, strong, brilliant colors enjoyed by everyone.

Stanhopea's in blooms at the moment

stanhopea x fowlieana

stanhopea tigrina Glory of Mexico

stanhopea Jack Quigley

Here we are in the middle of stanhopea's flowering time and many of my orchids are displaying splendid blooms again.

It's a pleasure to see lovely perfectly formed flowers and spikes and to re-connect with majestic multi-layered scents created by Mother Nature. The ultimate goal would be to able to capture this "Perfume of the Gods" so that one could smell it at any time one needs a pick me up, but of course that would be encroaching on "time" and for everything under the sun there is an appropriate "time".

So, like every stanhopea grower I have to satisfy myself with short-lived flowers and short-lived stanhopea scents - and marvel at the nature for creating such beauty. Many times during the day I visit my greenhouse just to be able to immerse myself in heavenly exotic perfume. I love how these beautiful orchids play on unsuspected grower - if one stay with them for a few minutes they will release first base notes of the scents which are usually forceful and strong, but if one spends a little bit of more time near them - then the whole kaleidoscope of secondary perfumes start revealing itself - completely different yet so complementary that comes in waves.
It's like composing a colorful palette where every color and scent  paints a beautiful signature and picture with the senses.

Stanhopea connata

This beautiful stanhopea from my collection just finished flowering this season and it's another stanhopea with colorful and interesting history.

Stanhopea connata was first described and documented in 1850's from the plant collected by famous orchid collector Joseph Warsewicz on his last voyage to Northern Peru. The living plant reached collection of Kunst and Matthieu in Germany where it was studied and called new stanhopea species. At the later stage it ended in herbarium in Berlin. In March 1943 after intense Allied bombing raid Berlin's herbarium was totally destroyed by fire, together with all plant material. What we know now about this specie due to huge contribution by various collectors, botanists and plant historians.

Stanhopea connata ( connate, connected) named this way due to the structure of the column connected with the basis of the lip in a unique for a stanhopea way. It grows along the eastern slopes of Andes in Peru. Plants often grow directly above open water, which gives clue to their sucessful cultivation.

The plant itself is of medium size and it displays beautiful orange colored blooms with many marks on the petals with darker rounder middle and the scent is very complex and multi-layered. One can smell many spices and herbs, heavy aroma's and almost buttered fragrances. It's one of those scents that is so difficult to describe that comes in waves and spending a few minutes with a flowering plant gives huge feast to the senses not easily forgotten.

Another special stanhopea  for anyone who appreciates these orchids and I am delighted being able to see this beauty in bloom this season.

 

Stanhopea connata

Stanhopea connata

Fabulous stanhopea's blooming this week

Here are some more pictures of my flowering stanhopea's that bloomed this week in the middle of our hot and humid weather. The greenhouse started to smell like an old-fashioned perfumery, every imaginable scent and fragrance is reperesented - vanilla, chocolate, spices, herbs, floral bouquets, various fruits and heavier aromas like myrrh and sandalwood. I love spending time with my flowering stanhopea's and marvel at the Nature's unique creation.

Stanhopea Posadarum

Stanhopea Bellarensis x Inodora

Stanhopea oculata var pallida

Stanhopea bucephalus var roezlii

One of my beautiful and rather rare stanhopea's finished it's flowering not long ago - it;s stanhopea bucephalus var roezlii, very nice and special orchid native only to small area of sourthern Ecuador that was discovered in 1830's. In it's native habitat it grows in the altitude of 1500m in the very wet montain forest.

It have very decorative flamboyant looking sculptured flowers of yellow/white tones with many purple dots all over the blooms and the scent is very strong sweet and fruity with a touch of cinnamon in the background. The plant itself is of medium size and the flowers are large, of generous proportions.

This is stunning and rare stanhopea to have in one's collection and I am always delighted in seeing this beauty in blooms.

Stanhopea inodora var alba

Another beautiful stanhopea just finished it's flowering season - it's stanhopea inodora var alba, very nice form of inodora.

The flowers of this variety are huge, very nicely sculptured, pristine white color with almost non-existent, faint scent. Most of the inodora's don't have any fragrance ( inodora means non-fragnant) and this variety is true to it's name. But it's compensating by abundance of blooms with each flower spike developing five to six large perfectly shaped flowers.

The plant itself is large, with long shaped leaves and it takes it time to come into flowering stage, but once it ready to flower it rewards any stanhopea collector with profusion. Stanhopea inodora alba is another gorgeous stanhopea for anyone who collects and appreciates these beautiful orchids.

Stanhopea Gary Baker

This is another beautiful stanhopea from my collection. It's stanhopea Gary Baker, very handsome cross of stanhopea Assidensis x jenishiana. Techically, of course, it's a 2nd generation cross since stanhopea Assiensis is a hybrid between tigrina x wardii. It was registered in early 1990's by Baker & Chantry, well known orchids vendors in US.

Stanhopea Gary Baker is one of the crossess that delights any stanhopea grower and collector - it's very vigorous plant, sending many many flower spikes during blooming season, it's large plant with many sculptured large leaves and it seems to do very well in our climate. The flowers are large, numerous on each flower spike and when they unfolding the background color is whitish, yet in a day or two the background color starts changing to pastel lemon and then deeper as the flower matures. There are many bright pink markings on the petals and the flowers are large and full.

The scent initally very strong cinnamon, penetrating and pungent and then secondary scent of herbs, also very powerful. There is no sweetness in the scent - just sharp, piercing smell that lingers for a very long time.

Stanhopea Gary Baker is another special stanhopea for anyone who loves these superior, exceptional orchids.

Stanhopea inodora "Point Loma"

Last season I've acquired this nice stanhopea and been waiting to see it's flowers - its stanhopea inodora "Point Loma" HCC/AOS. It's very nice variety of inodora, displaying deep lime green color with dots on the overlapping petals and deep yellow middle.

Like with all inodora's there is no scent ( inodora means "without fragrance, non-fragrant"), the colors are very nice and as the flowers mature the colors go more intence and luminous. The plant grows quickly, developing many new shoots and bulbs this season.

At this stage only one flower spike developed with 4 beautiful blooms and I am looking forward seeing more of them in the future.

Stanhopea Assidensis

This handsome orchid just finished it's flowering season. It's stanhopea Assidensis very nice hybrid between stanhopea tigrina x stanhopea wardii. It's one of the earlier crossess registered by Goldchmidt of Royal Horticultural Society in 1922.

The flowers of this cross are large and full, pale pink color with many darker pink spots and blotches with dark burgundy eyes, the scent is very fragrant vanilla/ marchmallow combination, strong and penetrating and lasts a very long time. It's very generous cross, producing many flower spikes during growing season.

It's another distinct orchid that will delight any stanhopea grower.

Stanhopea saccata "Rene"

This orchid is another recent addition to my collection and it's just finished it's flowering - it's stanhopea saccata "Rene" and it's beautiful, flamboyant looking stanhopea.

The plant itself is of the smallish size with thin-looking leaves, but the flowers quite large and showy with many beautiful bright colors and tones. Deep yellow, lime green, white and many purple dots sprinckled all over the blooms, giving kind of luminous appearance to the flowers.

The scent is very interesting , a bit difficult to describe and to me flowers smell a bit like fresh-cut apple, crisp and subtle - very unusual.

Stanhopea saccata "Rene" is very pretty variety and I am sure it will be welcome addition in any stanhopea collection.

Stanhopea wardii x costaricensis

This is another beautiful stanhopea from my collection that just finished its flowering – it’s a pretty cross of wardii x costaricensis. The blooms of this cross are large, sculptured and both parents contributed splendidly to this cross.

This orchid is very generous in terms of sending many flower spikes during its blooming season and the flowers predominantly white with yellow center and slight pink tingle on the petals with many dark pink colored spots. The scent is very strong, sweet with smell of bergamot in the background – very lovely and pleasant combination.

This orchid constantly developing new leaves and bulbs during growing season thus quickly maturing and it’s another wonderful stanhopea for any collector of these astonishing plants.

Stanhopea devoniensis x Assidensis

This interesting cross just finished its flowering – its stanhopea devoniensis x Assidensis, very old hybrid of two popular stanhopea’s. Technically it’s of course is a triple cross, since stanhopea Assidensis also a cross between stanhopea Tigrina x stanhopea wardii.

Stanhopea devoniensis is very old name for stanhopea hernandezii that was used until early 1900’s and this plant have a lot of characteristics of all of its parents. It’s rather slow growing orchid and it takes it’s time to flower, I’ve had it for a number of years and was looking forward to see it in bloom for a while.

The flowers are large, pale apricot color with a bit darker in the middle with many dark burgundy color spots all over the blooms. The scent is very fruity, sweet and spicy that is very strong and stable and lasts a long time. It’s a beautiful stanhopea to have in one’s collection.