Monday, September 23, 2013

Dendrobium agathodaemonis (red)

Dendrobium agathodaemonis is very closely related to Dendrobium cuthbertsonii and considered to be the same species by some.  To my mind, however, they are quite different, the former species having very thin growths and flowers without the dark lip markings that Dendrobium cuthbertsonii has.  This is a plant I grew from a seedling and which has rather small but very clear red flowers.  The plant is only a couple of centimeters tall and the flowers around three centimeters long.  Like its close relative, it is from New Guinea and is cool growing.






Friday, September 20, 2013

Epigeneium nakaharaei

Epigeneium nakaharaei is from Taiwan and is closely related to Dendrobium.  In fact, it was once classified as a Dendrobium.  The growths are 3-4 cm and the flowers 2.5 cm with a glossy brown lip.  It quickly forms a large clump and scrambles all over and for that reason is best grown on a mount.  It blooms in the autumn.





Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Dendrobium laevifolium (peach)

Dendrobium laevifolium belong to section Oxyglossum of the genus but is a warm-growing species, one of the few in that section.  It ordinarily has bright pink flowers, but this clone is unusual in that the flowers are a pale peach color and are smaller than other plants of the species, 2cm long.  The plant is also smaller, only 4.5cm.  The species is from New Guinea, the Solomon Island, Bougainville and other South Pacific Islands.



Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Paphiopedilum sukhakulii

Paphiopedilum sukhakulii is from Thailand and is named after a Thai orchid collector.  It has always been one of my favorite Paphiopedilum species and this seedling, purchased a number of years ago, finally bloomed.  It is a small species, has beautifully mottled foliage and ordinarily carries only one flower, but this bloomed with two.  The flowers are 9cm tall and 13cm from tip to tip, not extraordinarily large for the species.






 

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Ophidion cunabulum

Also known as Cryptophoranthus cunabulus, this miniature species is from Colombia and is related to Masdevallia and Pleurothallis.  It has a pendant habit and is best grown on a mount.  It is supposed to be temperature tolerant, though I grow it cool, and it flowers successively and is seldom out of flower.  The growths are 6-8cm long and the flowers small at 1.3 cm.




Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Sigmatostalix graminea

Sigmatostalix graminea is a tiny little species from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.  The plant is 5cm tall with tiny pseudobulbs and successively flowered spikes that come from the base of the pseudobulbs.  The flowers are only 5mm in size.  The plant is related to Oncidium.