Orchid of the day: Prosthechea vitellina, formerly Encyclia vitellina

Encyclia vitellina

I posted about this orchid rather frequently because it is a regular bloomer. So far I have at least posted about it on February 12, 2017, January 21, 2018, and November 28, 2018.

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.

There are a total of twenty one flowers and four buds on one stem. Possible six more flowers on the second flower stem.

A) Our orchid today, October 12th. Still kept outside as the cooler temperature agrees with it.

B) There is another flower stem, see lower left of this photo. There are a few flower buds developing.

C) This photo was taken of the same orchid on August 18th. At this time, we only had a single flower stem.

D) A view from above on August 18th.

E) A closer look at the second flower stem today. We may get six more flowers in a few weeks.

F) Beautiful brightly coloured flowers.

G) I wanted to show the rather large pseudobulbs at the root of this orchid's flower stems.

I hope you found this post interesting. Until my next post, please have a great week everyone.

Orchid of the day: Dendrochilum uncatum var. uncatum

Dendrochilum formosanum

I first posted about this orchid on January 1st, 2018. Arne had received this orchid as a large seedling. It has since then grown very well in our care. 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. However, this orchid is best known as Dendrochilum formosanum.

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) This orchid currently has a round twenty two flower stems today and still a few more developing. We may even end up with thirty flower stems this year.

B) A view from above of this sympodial orchid.

C) This orchid looks like a bouquet someone had put together.

D) I tried to zoom in for a closer look at the individual flowers. 

As always, I hope you found this orchid as interesting as I do. Until my next post, have a great week.

Orchid of the day: Aerangis luteo-alba var. rhodosticta

Aerangis luteo-alba var. rhodosticta

Arne got this orchid in 2014 and I started posting about this orchid since 2015, October 25th to be exact. Arne has always wanted to grow Aerangis luteo-alba var rhodosticta, as it is almost the only orchid in the tropical part of Africa that is not purely white.  It has yellowish white flowers (luteo-alba) with a bright orange-red column (rhodosticta).  It is supposedly notoriously difficult to culture but he has made it to flourish so far. 

A) Almost all flowers were in bloom at the end of September.

B) In a different light. How pretty.

C) I love the bright yellow spot in the middle of each flower.

D) I forget how much this orchid has grown over the last few years. See the next photo below as a comparison.

E) This was taken in 2015. My post from February 1st, 2015.

F) The entire orchid growing very well on the cork substrate.

A few more posts will be coming down soon, I hope. It has been a little hectic but will get back into the routine again. Until my next post, have a great week!

Orchid of the day: Brassavola perrinii

Brassavola perrinii

Brassavola perrinii is an epiphyte in Brazil and Bolivia and is known to grow into magnificent specimen plants in cultivation. Our plant is already approaching specimen size after five years in our care and has about 40 flowers this year. It also has flowers that are unusually large and well-shaped for the species; next year Arne will take it for judging.

We grow the plant in very bright light the whole year round and it does get direct sun during a few hours every day in summer. We have it hanging outdoors from the end of May until September, which means that it will endure some very hot temperatures for more than a month. Despite being from higher elevations in South America it does not seem to mind that at all.

A) A close view of our Brassavola perrinii under out back deck.

B) Almost forty beautiful white flowers.

C) An even closer view of the individual flowers. 

Now that the weather is getting cooler, image trying to find a place to have this specimen indoors over the fall and winter. We are working on it!

Until my next post, I hope these photos left a nice impression on you.