Orchid of the day: Paphiopedilum delenatii

Paphiopedilum delenatii

I posted about our Paphiopedilum delenatii last year, May 5th. Well, I'm happy to say this orchid has developed two flower stems and twice the number of flowers compared to 2014. This orchid is a native from the Southern Eastern region of Vietnam. 

A) January 25th. Two flower stems were developing.

B) View from the top. I love to see the pattern on the foliage. There are dark blue green veins and checks over a light green background.

C) By February 12, the two stems began to elongate and the flower buds were growing.

D) March 1st. Two flower buds were clearly emerging from each flower stem.

E) By March 13th, the stems kept growing upwards and upwards.

F) One flower stem matured earlier then the other by March 29th.

G) The first flower up close. Bright pink pouch.

H) By April 12th, three of the four flowers were fully opened.

I) Front profile of the flowers.

J) Profile from the back.

K) Today April 19th, all the flowers are fully opened.

Let's see how long the flowers will last this time!

Orchid of the day: Aerangis fastuosa (The Magnificent Aerangis)

Aerangis fastuosa

Aerangis fastuosa, which is endemic to Madagascar, is also known as The Magnificent Aerangis. This dwarf orchid has short stems and is hot growing (more than 70^oF). The best way to describe the appearance of this orchid is that its growth is very tidy, lovely and clean. The white flowers which are about 2 inches or 5 cm, are large for the size of the plant and are long lasting and fragrant in the afternoon and at night.

A) April 15th, the white flower up close.

B) December 14th, 2014, we noticed signs of a few flower stems at the base of the plant.

C) March 1st, 2015. The flowers were developing. We counted five flowers at this time.

D) You can see the nectar spur protruding from the bottom of the developing flowers. Actually at this stage, they remind me of bean sprouts!

E) March 22nd, the flower buds were still unopened.

F) March 29th, all five white flowers bloomed. Notice how close to the base of the plant the flowers are located.

In the wild, Aerangis fastuosa inhabits lands between the coastal plain and the central plateau in the evergreen forest of Madagascar. This orchid grows on twigs and small branches at elevations of 1000 to 1500 meters. We keep our Aerangis fastuosa in our basement under lights with regular watering and great care!

G) Intensively white crisp flowers.

Orchid Update: Leptotes bicolor 'Khairul Bariah' CCM/AOS

Leptotes bicolor 'Khairul Bariah' CCM/AOS

Today we were awarded the Certificate of Cultural Merit (CCM) by the American Orchid Society (AOS) for our Leptotes bicolor. The clonal name is 'Khairul Bariah', (which is me...again!). I am so happy Arne took my suggestion to take it for judging. So the official name of this clone is, Leptotes bicolor 'Khairul Bariah' CCM/AOS.

I truly felt this orchid is worth an evaluation. It is 15 years old and with his hard work and care, it has thrived. The plan to keep the orchid in the basement to prevent the flowers from wilting worked very well (see my last post from March 29th). Today there are still 56 flowers on nine influorescence. 

In case you are wondering what are the criteria for getting a CCM, according to the AOS, "CCM is awarded to the exhibitor of a well-flowered specimen plant of robust health. The plant must score more between 80 to 89 points inclusive on a 100 point scale".

Orchid of the day: Leptotes bicolor

Leptotes bicolor

Our Leptotes bicolor is flowering again! The last time I posted was March 16th, 2014 and I thought it was glorious then but today we have more than 55 flowers including several buds still waiting to open. We are hoping to bring this specimen for judging next Saturday in Washington DC but the flowers tend to wilt by two weeks. We have this orchid is our basement for now, hoping that the cooler temperature can delay wilting and preserve the flowers for another week. Please enjoy the photos taken over time.

A) March 1st. This time the orchid produced 11 new shoots and each shoot produced a cluster of flowers buds. 

B) View from above.

C) Side view of the clusters of developing flowers from the shoots.

D) By March 13th, flowers were developing.

E) Side profile of the young flower buds.

F) We have the orchid hanging either by our window or in the orchidarium. Notice how the flowers are gently hanging downwards.

G) March 22nd. A combination of opened flowers and buds. These opened flowers have a longevity of 2 weeks before wilting.

H) Beautiful cascading flowers.

I) Today March 29th, almost all of the buds are opened and emitting a weak fragrant.

K) Leptotes bicolor from March 2014.

J) March 29th, 2015. Impressive specimen.

The photo to the left (J) is what we observed today. The right (K) was when this orchid bloomed in March last year. I thought last year this orchid was magnificent but when you put the two pictures side by side, clearly this orchid is doing really well this year. If it can retain all the flowers until next Saturday, April 4th, we may have a chance in DC for something! Fingers cross.

If anyone is interested in trying this orchid, here are some simple rules. This orchid needs to be watered 2 to 3 times a week and should be mounted. Leptotes bicolor, a native of Brazil,  also loves a lot of light. 

Orchid of the day: Coelogyne nitida

Coelogyne nitida

Coelogyne nitida is a cool-growing species originating in the Himalayas of India and Southeast Asia, e.g. Nepal, Bhutan, upper Burma, Northeastern India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Laos. This orchid requires a resting period in winter, with very little watering and these conditions may aid flowering.

A) Coelogyne nitida from 2010

In my earlier post from February 4, 2014, I featured the orchid in the above picture (A). We have since then divided it and one half has started to bloom. The flowers from this plant is being featured in this post.

B) A few weeks after the orchid was divide in April 2014. One flower stem developed at that time with two blooms.

C) March 13th, 2015. The divided plant flourished and this year developed two healthy looking flower stems.

D) Flower buds up close.

E) Another close up from above.

F) By March 22nd, all six flowers developed.

G) The beautiful pair of yellow-orange dots, also known as the eyes, are prominently featured on the upper portion of the lip of each flower.

H) All six flowers in bloom today.

That's all I have for this post. I hope the flowers will last for awhile. I love the beautiful yellow dots on each of the flowers. 

Orchid of the day: Stelis quadrifida or Pleurothallis ghiesbreghtiana

Our mystery orchid

I wanted to share this orchid with you. This is how the story begins. Arne bought Dendrobium jenkensii  which is attached to a tree fern/twig in 2007. At the top of this fern/twig, he noticed a small plant which he thought was just an extra plant, not an orchid. Over the years, the plant grew and occasionally produced yellowish flowers. This year there are multiple flower stems and a multitude of yellowish-green flowers. There were so many flowers and upon further inspection, we agreed that this is some kind of miniature orchid. Our Dendrobium jenkensii hasn't flowered yet but we were determined to find out what this orchid is.

A) What is the orchid on top?

I can spend forever looking at images of orchids in the internet but I'm glad that I joined an international orchid forum. The folks are really helpful and positive. 

B) We hang the entire plant-combo in our study window sill and it has been a cold winter indeed. Arne thinks that the cold could have induced the flowering more than ever.

C) Up close photo of the flowers. Miniature orchids, and very delicate. The flowers are small, about 1/4 of an inch across.

Based on the dialogue we had from the Orchid Forum, we found out that this orchid is a Pleurothallis ghiesbreghtiana or the accepted name is now Stelis quadrifida. This orchid is a hot to cool growing orchid and found in central America as well as in Jamaica. It can be grown in a pot or in our case, mounted with year round moisture and good air circulation.

D) The flowers looking beautiful in the bright sunlight. 

Another suggestion was that this orchid is a Pleurothallis grobyi, which is also found in central America but the leaves are smaller than ours. For now, we agree that this is Stelis quadrifida, and we are sticking to that!

Maryland Orchid Exhibition 2015

I am sharing some photos from our visit to the Maryland Orchid Society Exhibition at the Maryland State Fair, in Timonium. It has been such a cold winter and on Saturday March 7th, the weather changed to the better! This was my first trip to the fair and I have to say the exhibition was eye catching and I had fun.

Exhibition of prize winning orchids from growers of the Maryland Orchid Society

Orchid enthusiasts buying and discussing with experts.

Arne bought three orchids this time, Rhynchostylis gigantea, Paphiopedilum druryi and Aerangis mystacidii. It will be sometime before I can post about them. But stay tuned!

This orchid really caught my eye. It reminded me of a beautiful batik design. I didn't get the name but we guess it is an Oncidium alliance hybrid.

An assortment of orchids to pick and choose from.

A beautiful collection of orchids to end this post.

To David Marsalis Carter (DMC). You will be missed by so many.