Stanhopea tricornis orchid

This beautiful and rare stanhopea orchid just finished it’s flowering season with me and it’s stanhopea tricornis - rare and unusual form. It’s one of the oldest documented species - the first description of it appeared in 1849 by Lindley from the plant discovered in Peru by famous orchid collector Joseph Warscewicz who worked for Skinner in England at that time.

There appears to be a few color variations of this specie and I’ve seen pristine white blooms of stanhopea tricornis as well as creamy color and some like mine with yellow markings on the end of the petals. It’s native to the Western slopes of the Andes in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia in very warm and very humid forests which probably gives a clue to it’s successful flowering.

The plant itself is of medium size with slender leaves and elongated bulbs and the scent is very forceful strong with many herbal tones. With me in our climate it seems to flower every other season, showing off it’s unusual and rare flowers and a glimpse of this beauty created by Nature.

Stanhopea tricornis

Stanhopea jenischiana Carlyle

Stanhopea jenischiana Carlyle1

Stanhopea jenischiana Carlyle2

Here is very special stanhopea  jenischiana variety Carlyle from my collection that just finished it’s flowering season. It’s very beautiful jenischiana with colorful, striking appearance, it came to me as small, unflowered seedling and I’ve been waiting for a while to see it’s blooms.

For some reason, jenischiana’s have have this “difficult to bloom” reputation and over the years I’ve heard so many stories from many fellow stanhopea growers about keeping it almost bone-dry to induce flowering, not giving it fertilizer or positioning it in full sun  - none of them sat well with me for a simple reason that this specie mostly native to Cauca valley in Colombia and one small isolated population in southern Equador near Pinas where it grows in a very wet mountain forests so my plants get plenty of feed, plenty of water and shady, filtered light.

The flowers of jenischiana Carlyle have rich, striking colouring of deep, buttery orange with many many dark burgundy spots and the scent is very sweet with many herbal and spicy undertones  - one can smell clove, nutmeg, cinnamon wrapped in sweetness and it lingers around for a long time.
 It’s very special stanhopea to love and to admire and to reflect on the Nature producing this beautiful orchid.

Stanhopea xytriophora

Stanhopea xytriophora 1

Stanhopea xytriophora 2

This special and very rare stanhopea just finished it’s flowering season and it gave me a great pleasure to see this beauty in bloom. It’s one of the rarest species in the stanhopea orchids range and not many plants of stanhopea xytriophora around, making it very desired stanhopea for any serious collector.

 Stanhopea xytriophora specie was first documented by Reichenbach in 1868 - he received unknown orchid from Peru, studied it and gave it it’s current name - xytriophora and for a while no more plants of this specie was collected. Later on, in 1921, in 1958, in 1965 this specie was mentioned in some publications by various collectors, including Barney Greer in 1998. My plant is one of the plants from his collection that I treasure.

 It’s beautiful stanhopea with white/creamy medium size flowers, red eyes and many red spots on the petals with very strong, piercing scent of spices - there is no sweetness to the scent - just strong, spicy smell that lingers for a long time. The plant itself is of medium size and it’s rather a slow grower that perhaps will test the patience of any stanhopea collector because it’s flowering cycle truly left for the Nature to sort out  - stanhopea xytriophora flowering have it’s own timing and rhythm and all one can do just go with it. And then to enjoy it’s special, rare blooms.

Stanhopea insignis

Stanhopea insignis1

 

Stanhopea insignis2

 

This beautiful stanhopea just finished it's flowering and I always love to see this beauty in bloom. Stanhopea insignis is one of the first stanhopea orchids been discovered in 1818 and as usual it have very colorful and interesting history. In 1829 it ended in Kew Botanical Gardens  and from there on been appearing in various private collections.

To trace appearance of stanhopea insignis is like immersing oneself in stanhopea orchids history and archives - it's been described and mentioned in various publications by orchid collectors such as John Frost, William Jackson Hooker, Jenisch/Kramer of Hamburg,  Demidoff of Italy,  Hoffmannsegge of Dresden, Linden of Ghent, Loddiges of Hackney, and Sir Phillip Henry Earl of Stanhope the president of medical-botanical society in London - all of them made tremendous contribution to bringing stanhopea species to the world. Stanhopea insignis was the first stanhopea specie named.

The plant native to states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santa Caterina and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and it's habitat rather dry which gives clue to it's successful flowering.

This specie extremely variable in  colors, there are quite a few different clones about, some a pure pristine white and my plant showing white background with many purple dots all over the flower. The scent to me smells like pure cinnamon - strong, piercing, penetrating.

Stanhopea insignis ( from Latin - remarkable) beautiful stanhopea orchid to love and to admire and to reflect on it's interesting history.

Stanhopea embreei x graveolens

Stanhopea embreei x graveolens1

Stanhopea embreei x graveolens 2

Our new stanhopea flowering season already started here and I am looking forward again being surrounded by beautiful and exotic creations of Nature. Hopefully, I will be able to feature and share some of my flowering beauties again in this blog.

The first one to flower in my collection this handsome cross  of stanhopea embreei x stanhopea graveolens. It came to me as small unflowered seedling couple of years ago and I've been waiting for a while to see it's blooms.

It's a strong, robust plant, strong grower that develops many leaves and bulbs during it's growing season, establishing quickly and the flowers are very nice and perfectly sculptured.
From graveolens parent it inherited deep yellow tones and from embreei many purple dots on the petals, distinct eyes and really strong fruity and spicy scent - really nice combination.

It's always great to welcome new variety of stanhopea to own collection and to love and admire and to reflect on the beauty of these orchids.

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 graveolens x greerii

This handsome stanhopea just finished it's flowering season. It's a very interesting cross of stanhopea graveolens and stanhopea grerii. I've been patiently waiting to see this beauty in flower for a while, since it have such a great parentage.

It have perfectly sculptured flowers and a kind of luminous appearance, special and strong heady scent reminiscent of herbs and many spices - there are many layers to it's perfume that comes in waves.

It's a beautiful addition to my ever-growing stanhopea collection and I am looking forward learning with it and seeing more of it's special, majestic blooms.

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 Great Expectations

Here is an interesting stanhopea cross from my collection - it's a hybrid between stanhopea nigroviolacea and stanhopea hernandezii, registered under the name Great Expectations by D Hartley of England in 2007.

It flowers with beautifu, flamboyant blooms and one can see both parents in the structure of flowers. It always producing flower spike with two flowers, just like hernandezii and it's always showing very clearly hernandezii lip structure, but the petals of the flowers inherited nigraviolacea coloring. The scent isvery sweet vanilla with herbal undertones, very strong and penetrating.

Stanhopea Great Expectations is another attractive addition to any stanhopea collection.                                                                                                                                                                  

  

Stanhopea panamensis

This beautiful stanhopea bloomed right at the end ouf flowering season and it's stanhopea panamensis. Its native to Panama and it appears to be only growing in the area of the Cerro Campana, approx 50 km southwest of Panama City in high altitude of wet rainforests.

It was first mentioned in one of the orchids publications in 1988 and to date number of colored plants been discovered from pure white to heavy spotted varieties however all of them have stretched hypochil, flat and long.

My panamensis orchid have light coloring with a few spots on the petals, very interesting combination and it flowered with the most magical scent, layered with many tones to it. One can smell top floral tones followed by musk followed by herbal mixture - pure delight!

This specie well worth growing for any stanhopea collector, it's unusual and sometimes temperamental in cultivation - some years it appears to be just resting and then suddenly decides to reward patient stanhopea grower with beautiful blooms.

Stanhopea anfracta

This beautiful stanhopea bloomed right at the end of our flowering season and it's stanhopea anfracta, special orchid from Peru, from the eastern side of the Andes.

It was first discovered in late 1890,s and susequently ended up in Shuttleworth's collection in Heaton, England who first documented this specie.

My stanhopea anfracta is a pale form of this specie and there are many vartations to this stanhopea - it very variable in color from pristine white to darker, almost orange hues.

It;s beautiful stanhopea with heavenly scent that have many layers to it - initial strong sweet/herbal mixture that follows by strong scent of murrh - an absolute delight! Beautiful creation of Nature and another special stanhopea for any collector of these unique orchids.

Stanhopea posadae

This week one of my rare beautiful stanhopea's flowered first time.

Stanhopea posadae is relatively new species from Colombia, first been described by Rodrigo Escobar in publication "Native Orchids of Colombia" in 1992 and since then been very desired stanhopea for any collector of these marvelous orchids. It's rather rare in cultivation and I am quite trilled and delighted being able to see this beautiful stanhopea in flower.

The plant and blooms are of medium size with yellow color flowers and dark burgundy spots and the scent is very herbal / spicy with many sharp undertones that lasts a long time. In our hot weather flowers opened up bery quickly, but I managed to take some pictures as the flowers were unfolding.

Stanhopea posadae is another striking, dramatic looking and handsome stanhopea to enchant any stanhopea collector.

 

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.