Orchid of the day: Angraecum sesquipedale

Angraecum sesquipedale

Once again our Madagascan beauty bloomed and produced three beautiful flowers which emit a mild fragrance in the evenings. I love Angraecum sesquipedale because this exotic orchid produces very unique flowers with long spurs. As I have mentioned many times, in nature, only one particular moth can pollinate this orchid. The moth is called Xanthopan morganii with the specialized proboscis. I described this in detail in my earlier post January 27, 2014.

A) By December 10, three flower buds had developed. 

B) Flower buds up close. 

C) This photo was taken on January 12. Two of the three flowers had opened.

D) Three days later all flowers were fully opened. 

Today all three flowers are still in bloom. We have noticed over time, that the flowers are rather sensitive to dry winter conditions in the house. This resulted in the browning of the tips of each petals. This is visible from my earlier posts (2015, 2016 and 2017). A solution maybe to purchase a humidifier for the orchids in the basement. We'll let you know if this will work. 

Once again I hope you enjoyed my post for the day. I will conclude with a photo from 2014, where Anthony posed with our Angraecum sesquipedale. 

Have a great week everyone!

Orchid of the day: Prosthechea vitellina, formerly Encyclia vitellina

Prosthechea vitellina (formerly Encyclia vitellina)

I posted about this orchid last year, February 12, 2017. It is now named Prosthechea (previously Encyclia) vitellina. This orchid hails from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, where it grows as an epiphyte at high elevations.  High elevations means cold to cool conditions, something most orchid growers cannot offer unless they have an air-conditioned greenhouse.  Unlike most cold growers, Psh vitellina is fortunately rather forgiving when it comes to temperature and can adapt to somewhat warmer than ideal conditions.  What Arne has seen, however, is that warmer temperatures seem to be reflected in the pseudobulbs which grow into an oblong rather than round shape when the temperature is warmer than ideal.  The quality or shape of the flowers is not affected by somewhat elevated growing temperature.

Based on our own experience, Psh vitellina does not need any dry winter rest as suggested in most cultural notes.  Arne has his Psh vitellina in a rather small clay pot with bark/sphagnum mix. From the time growth starts in spring until the flower stems begin to appear in August, Arne gives the orchid water regularly.  Watering is marginally reduced during the rest of the year, which is essentially one single blooming season. 

A) By December 6, 2017, two flower stems had developed with four flowers on one.

B) The flower stem to the left, appeared larger and there are approximately eight flower buds.

C) The flower buds up close.

D) By January 12, 2018, we can see at least fifteen flowers on the left flower stem and four on the right stem. A total of about nineteen flowers.

E) Beautifully intense colour of each bloom.

F) Another pretty picture.

G) Intense bright orange beauty, to conclude today's post.

As of today, we have nineteen flowers but the numbers may increase. It is difficult to guess until all the flowers are opened! I hope this post has been a fun read.

Until my next post, do have a good week everyone.

Orchid of the day: Dendrochilum uncatum var. uncatum

Dendrochilum uncatum var. uncatum

This orchid came our way last year and has been flowering since early November until now. This species is native to Taiwan and the Philippines. The height of this orchid is about 15 cm or ~ 6 inches. The flowers are about 1 cm and are bright yellow green with dark green shiny leaves.

There are two varieties of Dendrochilum uncatum; first is this one, Dendrochilum uncatum var. uncatum, where the hooked arms are attached at the middle of the column. Second is the Dendrochilum uncatum var. longispicatum, where the arms are attached on the bottom column.

In the wild, this orchid would grow on rocks and trees at elevations of 1,000 to 2,300 m. The common name of this orchid is "The Hooked-Shaped Dendrochilum", referring to the inward bent to the arms on the column.

A) A close up of the flowers.

B) By December 6, almost all of the flowers on ten inflorescences, were blooming.

C) Here is another photo taken on December 10.

D) A closer look at the individual flowers.

E) The entire specimen to conclude my post for January 1st, 2018.

Happy 2018 to everyone!