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".