Orchids we saw in Porto, Portugal

A different post today. Travelling in Porto, Portugal this Thanksgiving week and walking around we saw orchids on balconies. Some with buds and some just resting. Then we walked by a beautiful flower shop and I decided, I have to share the beautiful photos I took. In addition, I took some beautiful photos of Porto. I hope you will enjoy them.

A) Porto by day.

B) Walking around the neighbourhood, we noticed a few balconies with orchids just 'hanging' out. Upon closer look, we deduced they must be some kind of Cymbidium.

C) Walking further up along the streets, we came across this flower shop, Jardim do Norte, owned by a wonderful lady named Clara. A beautiful Portuguese lady born in Angola, extremely well versed in botany.

D) Jardim do Norte front window display. Mostly fully bloomed orchids. Most of them were Phalaenopsis hybrids but one was a pure species.

D) This small beauty is Ludisia discolor, a pure species according to Arne. Strange with my increased interest in orchids, I noticed the special ones are the more modest beauties. This orchid is normally cultivated for their beautiful leaves. Ludisia is a genus of orchids that contains only one species, commonly referred to as a jewel orchid. A native of Southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Burma.  

E) Ludisia discolor upclose.

F) The flamboyant Cattleya hybrids, of course! Simply gorgeous.

G) A Dendrobium nobile hybrid that caught my eye.

H) Zooming in for a better view, 

To conclude this 'travel' post, we did go to the botanical garden, Jardim Botanico, yesterday but we couldn't get in the green house. There were renovations but we did see some orchids resting. Maybe, we will return again and see these plants in their full glory.

I) Porto by night taken from the other side of the river on Vila Nova De Gaia.

Beautiful, historic Porto. Home of port wines.  

Orchid of the day: Laelia endsfeldzii

Laelia endsfeldzii

Laelia endsfeldzii is found in Brazil in Minas Gerais as a small lithophyte, i.e. grows on or in rocks, at elevations of 900 meters. This orchid does well in in bright light, warm to cool temperature, a long dry winter rest with occasional mistings. However, this orchid is not easy to cultivate.

A) Laelia endsfeldzii on October 26th.

B) Five flower buds developed

C) By November 6th, one flower opened.

D) The four flower buds and the single developed flower on November 6th.

E) A beautiful shot outside on November 8th. Now two flowers are seen.

F) A different angle for an up close shot of the blooms.

G) Three buds still pending on November 8th.

H) Today, November 19th.

I) Zoom of the four flowers on November 19th. One more bud still waiting to burst out!

J) Beautiful tiny blooms.

Arne had this orchid for three years. The first flower stem appeared two years ago and 'died' promptly before the first flower opened! Arne couldn't figure out what caused it but he was very happy to see the flowers this time. Only issue is that these flowers are so tiny! I want to say about 1 inch in diameter, about 2.5 cm. 

I will definitely update this post when I have all five flowers in bloom. As for the photos, my favorites are G and I.

Orchid of the day: Broughtonia negrilensis x Laelia crawshayana

 Broughtonia negrilensis x Laelia crawshayana 

Update 1: Nov 22nd 2014, all five flowers in bloom. 

Update 2: All five flowers from the top

Broughtonia negrilensis x Laelia crawshayana

As promised, this is our Broughtonia negrilensis x Laelia crawshayana. In contrast to the flowers from the previous year, these flowers have very light purple to white on the sepals and petals. The darker purple hue with fine purplish veins are focused on the lip.

A) A better photo depicting the clear contrast in the deep purple color on the lip.

B) This photo was taken in April 2014. I wanted this picture in this post as a comparison of how the plant looked without any flower stem. 

C) October, a very clear flower stem developed and at least five flowers will be blooming soon.

D) The five flower buds up close.

E) The length of the flower stem is between 22 to 24 inches.

F) Frontal shot of the biggest flower. We are still waiting for the other three flowers to open up.

G) View of the two blooms and the three buds from the back.

H) Here's Anthony! The Broughtonia negrilensis x Laelia crawshayana is hanging on the chair.

I) A great close up shot of the flowers.

I hope you enjoyed looking at the flowers. I will post an update when all five flowers are in bloom. Until the next post!