Orchid of the day: Dendrobium trantuanii

Dendrobium trantuanii

Dendrobium trantuanii is an orchid from Vietnam that was discovered as recently as 2003. Although the plant is small, its flowers are showy and about 5 cm (2 inch) wide; it is amazing that no one ‘discovered’ it earlier.

Arne received this plant as a gift from the Maryland Orchid Society in 2018. Not much is available about its culture. He is growing it in a fine bark mix, in a small net basket at intermediate temperature. Arne keeps it somewhat drier between the watering in winter.

A) Out in the sun on April 5th. One flower and two buds.

B) Symmetrical bloom.

C) By April 18th, all three flowers were opened.

D) Although the flowers are very 'fancy' looking, I don't smell any fragrant. If there is any, it is extremely mild.

E) A final close up of the flower. I hope you enjoyed this picture.

Until my next post, please have a good day and take care out there!

Khairul Bariah

Orchid of the day: Vanda ampullacea (formerly Ascocentrum ampullacea)

Vanda ampullacea

I first posted about this orchid on June 1, 2019. You can click on the link to read the background of how this orchid came about in the early 1800s. This perennial epiphyte, is native to southeast Asia, from Nepal, through southern Yunnan, in China and India.

Arne purchased this orchid in 2017 as a large seedling and it began to flower in 2018 with a short stem and very small flowers, about half an inch or less in diameter. Last year, we estimated that we had twenty flowers. This time around, with two spikes, we believe we have double the numbers. Well, please enjoy these tiny beauties from us today.

A) Two spikes this year.

B) Monopodial orchid

C) Individual flowers upclose.

D) Delicate miniature orchid.

Happy Sunday and stay safe!

Khairul Bariah

Orchid of the day: Aerangis fastuosa

Aerangis fastuosa

This is our very reliable miniature or dwarf orchid which is a native of Madagascar. Aerangis fastuosa is also called The Magnificient Aerangis. This monopodial orchid has very short and stunted stems which makes the leaves very low to the ground. It gives the appearance that the flowers are spreading horizontally.

A) We have seven flowers this time.

B) The flowers emit a pleasant fragrant in the evening and the fragrant becomes stronger in the absence of light.

C) The orchid is co-existing with a velvety layer of moss in the wooden basket.

D) The flowers are definitely bright white. 

E) The roots of this orchid is not obvious like our Aerangis luteo-alba var. rhodosticta.

This isn't an orchid Arne will transplant to a cork bark. This orchid does well in this wooden basket and that is where it shall remain. Until my next post, have a safe week.

Khairul Bariah

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

Aerangis luteo-alba var. rhodosticta

This orchid originates from the Central regions of Africa and came into our hands in 2014. I have written and shared photographs of our Aerangis luteo-alba var. rhodosticta in 2019, 2017, 2016 and 2015 (twice). In the previous posts, this orchid bloomed in mid September or early October. This post is earlier, as Arne calls it, this is bonus blooming. If we are fortunate, this Aerangis will flower again this September. Actually we saw the same situation in 2015.

A) We have three flower spikes and approximately thirty five flowers.

B)  The bright orange in the center is the column. 

C) This orchid clings very tightly to the cork bark with its own roots.

D) From these pictures, it is hard to see but the colour of the petals have a tinge of saffron-yellow and not entirely crisp white. Hence the name luteo alba. 

Well, that is my post for now.

Until my next post, stay safe and keep social distancing. 

Orchid of the day: Vanda barnesii

Vanda barnesii

My first post about our Vanda barnesii was on May 20th 2019. Arne obtained the seedling from Carson Barnes in 2015. This cool grower comes from the higher elevations in the Philippines. This year our orchid produced two flower spikes, with five flowers in totally. These flowers developed at least one month earlier than last year. In fact, Arne noticed most of his Vandas were flowering earlier than usual.

I guess Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog was correct about an early Spring after all. For those unfamiliar, I recommend you read up on "Groundhog Day" or the movie with Bill Murray with the same name. It's a long story but it a popular observance in many parts of the States, where a groundhog will appear and predicts whether Spring will come early or not! All in fun, of course.

A) Crisp white flowers enjoying the sun.

B) I find these flowers very symmetrical and rounded in shape.

C) Individual bloom up close.

D) All five flowers are still in full bloom today.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. In real life, these flowers so white and bright. I wish you all can see it. Until my next post, have a great week and stay safe.

Orchid of the day: Coelogyne nitida

Coelogyne nitida

This is another Southeast Asian orchid which likes cool and temperate climate. We give this orchid a lot of water during growth period but watering is reduced during the resting months, which is winter. I have made many posts about our Coelogyne nitida over the years, specifically in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. In these posts, we have provided comments on how to grow this species. I do recommend you checking them out because you will see how this orchid has grown over the years in our care.

A) Sixteen flowers at the time this photo was taken in early March. Currently, the orchid is still blooming.

B) An individual bloom up close.

The flowers are quite large, about 3 inches or 7 to 8 cm. They do emit a very pleasant fragrant and the flowers are long-lasting. We observed over the years a special sign before the flowers fully develop. The flower stems are almost fully developed in the Fall. These stems would stand almost straight up during winter and suddenly swell up at the end of February, and burst into flowers in March.

C) In the pot, to the left, you can see four old leafless pseudobulbs from previous years. 

D) A view from above of our Coelogyne nitida. 

As usual, I hope you enjoyed my post today. I find this orchid very reliable and I am looking forward to see it bloom again next year. Larger and with more flowers, we hope.

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.