Orchid of the day: Rhynchostylis gigantea

Rhynchostylis gigantea

We acquired this orchid as a seedling at the Maryland Orchid Exhibition in 2015 and it is one of the slowest growing orchid in our collection. But when it flowers, it is definitely one of our favorite orchids. The flowers bloom during the darkest time of the year but they can last up to two months. In this post, the flowers were in full bloom in early February, and they are still blooming today. 

A) Developing flower buds in late January this year.

Our Rhynchostylis gigantea is still a baby, and it produced a spike with twenty five flowers this year. It did the same last year, see my post from January 13, 2019. Arne believes at this rate, it will produce a flower spike with at least double the number of blooms in a couple of years. Perhaps even two spikes. Here hoping!

B) A closer look of the buds.

C) By early February, the flowers were blooming indoors in our basement. The flowers produced a pleasing mild fragrant.

D) An even closer look at the shape of the individual flowers. Simply gorgeous.

E) We photographed our orchid outdoors when the weather was agreeable. The natural light gives you an idea of how vivid the purple color looks on the individual flower. 

The only drawback with this orchid is its impressive air roots. As it grows, the roots will extend, encase and hang outside the wooden basket. I think this is a beautiful sight but to some, finding room to store this orchid can be challenging. One must be gentle with the roots to ensure the orchid remain happy and rewards you with flowers. 

F) Our Vanda-like pure species from Southeast Asia.

I hope this post was an enjoyable read for you. I'll be posting more shortly but until then, take care and be safe.