orchid

Paphiopedilum St. Swithin
Gallery
Paphiopedilum St. Swithin

My orchids, Orchid blog

Paphiopedilum St. Swithin

A rather large plant in my collection, Paphiopedilum St. Swithin (rothschildianum x philippinense), a classic cross registered back at the turn of the last century. The tag actually says Paphiopedilum philippinense, but this is abviously not the case… though most likely a St. Swithin. Regardless, it is an impressive multi-floral primary hybrid from the subgenus Polyantha and it sure does command respect when in blooms. The beautifully striped flowers measure nearly 10 cm tall with a petal wingspan of […]

By Karma|2016-11-16T20:11:23+01:00November 16th, 2016|Categories: My orchids, Orchid blog|Tags: orchid, Paphiopedilum, Paphiopedilum philippinense|6 Comments

Paphiopedilum appletonianum
Gallery
Paphiopedilum appletonianum

My orchids, Orchid blog

Paphiopedilum appletonianum

Paphiopedilum appletonianum is a personal favorite in my collection. I know I say this every year, but everytime it blooms I feel this way so it must be true then. Not only do I like that the flowers last for several months I also adore the color combination and the purple-brown, lightly hairy and ridiculously long inflorescence often measuring up to half a meter long! The lovely light mottled leaves add some extra appeal even […]

By Karma|2017-10-13T11:25:38+02:00October 27th, 2015|Categories: My orchids, Orchid blog|Tags: orchid, Paphiopedilum appletonianum|4 Comments

Paphiopedilum purpuratum
Gallery
Paphiopedilum purpuratum

My orchids, Orchid blog

Paphiopedilum purpuratum

This stunning species hail from southeastern China and Vietnam where it grows at elevations of 500-1400 meters. It is a small and fairly easy going species. It does not require a whole lot of light and can handle a wide temperature range from warm to intermediate and a grows either terrestrially or as a lithopyhte on limestone cliffs in nature. The leaves are beautifully mottled in a pale and dark green rather graphic modern camo pattern. Commonly called the purple Paphiopedilum it is as to be […]

By Karma|2015-10-16T15:13:02+02:00October 16th, 2015|Categories: My orchids, Orchid blog|Tags: orchid, Paphiopedilum, Paphiopedilum purpuratum|Comments Off

Stelis immersa

This is a wonderfully vigorous plant with nice fleshy dark green leaves and intense chocolate colored flowers. It blooms every winter for me, and this year it started sometime before the new year and just now finished after almost five months of blooming on six inflorescences. The inflorescence grow out from the midrib at mid leaf and hold a long string of nodding flowers measuring about a centimeter tall. It is a small to medium sized, warm to cool growing […]

By Karma|2014-10-15T14:41:00+02:00May 3rd, 2013|Categories: My orchids|Tags: orchid, Pleurothallis, Pleurothallis immersa, Stelis, Stelis immersa|10 Comments

Scaphosepalum anchoriferum

This wonderfully strange looking orchid hail from the mountains of Central America where they can be found at elevations from 1100 to 2000 meters. It is an intermediate epiphyte that usually blooms in the spring to summer in nature, but mine started around the new year and has been blooming all winter. The flowers measure about 1 cm wide and grow on a fairly long, single descending to horizontal successively flowered inflorescence. I love the provocative, phallic shape. It asks for no […]

By Karma|2014-10-15T14:42:52+02:00March 18th, 2013|Categories: My orchids|Tags: cool vivarium, flower, orchid, Scaphosepalum, Scaphosepalum anchoriferum, vivarium|4 Comments

Masdevallia striatella

This is a small intermediate growing epiphyte from Central America. It can be found in mountain cloud forest from Costa Rica to Northwestern Venezuela at altitudes ranging from 400 meters up to 2500 meters. Flowers are small, only about one centimeter long, but the nice coloration makes up for any shortcomings in size. It usually blooms in the late fall/ early winter in nature, and it has been doing the same for me this year, blooming from […]

By Karma|2014-10-15T14:46:11+02:00February 24th, 2013|Categories: My orchids|Tags: cool vivarium, flower, Masdevallia, Masdevallia striatella, orchid, vivarium|4 Comments

Dracula sodiroi subsp. erythrocodon

So, the Dracula indulgence continues. Dracula sodiroi is an intermediate to cool growing terrestrial or epiphytic species named after Father Sadira who first discovered it in 1900. It grows in the northwestern regions of the Pichincha provice in Ecuador at altitudes between 1800 to 2300 meters. The bell shaped flowers form on erect racemes and the pendant growing style further enhances the bell connection. Apparently the characteristic to produce more than one flower at the same time on this erect raceme […]

By Karma|2014-10-15T14:49:00+02:00February 12th, 2013|Categories: My orchids|Tags: cool vivarium, Dracula, Dracula sodiroi, Dracula sodiroi subsp. erythrocodon, flower, orchid, vivarium|4 Comments

Dracula iricolor

I bought this lovely species from Ecuagenera under the name Dracula trichroma, which apparently is a synonym to Dracula iricolor. Regardless of the name, I love the soft color scheme of the flower in contrast to the traditional provocative Dracula shape. It blooms on an erect inflorescence, which is less common in this genus, with single flowers produced in succession. It is an eiphyte from the cloud forests of Colombia to Northwestern Ecuador where it has been found at a […]

By Karma|2014-10-15T14:52:59+02:00February 10th, 2013|Categories: My orchids|Tags: cool vivarium, Dracula, Dracula iricolor, Dracula trichroma, Ecuagenera, flower, orchid, vivarium|Comments Off

Masdevallia rex

I was picking up my pre-ordered plants from Ecuagenera at an orchid show back in September, and I asked Alex if he had anything special on the table I should consider. He suggested this Masdevallia rex, a species they had only recently begun selling. I took his advice and brought it home, and now it is blooming for the first time. One flower just opened, but there are a myriad of buds coming so […]

By Karma|2017-10-13T11:25:39+02:00February 9th, 2013|Categories: My orchids|Tags: cool vivarium, Ecuagenera, flower, Masdevallia, Masdevallia rex, orchid, vivarium|Comments Off

Paphiopedilum appletonianum

This is a really nice Paphiopedilum species, personally one of my favorites. I love the color combination, the super long flower spikes and the gorgeous mottled leaves. It is a strong grower in my collection, it has nearly crawled out of its pot and this year it produced two flowers that opened within days of one another. Paphiopedilum appletonianum is a medium sized, warm to cool growing species that can grow either as a terrestrial, lithophyte […]

By Karma|2017-10-13T11:25:39+02:00February 3rd, 2013|Categories: My orchids|Tags: flower, orchid, Paphiopedilum, Paphiopedilum appletonianum|2 Comments