Stanhopea shuttleworthii



Stanhopea shuttleworthii buds glowing
in the morning sun, 2 days from opening.

Waiting and watching Stanhopea inflorescences mature and come into bloom is part of the fun of growing this genus.  It is especially satisfying to witness the first flowering of a plant for the year.  This orchid surprised me by producing five inflorescences this year and the first one was way ahead of the rest.  This orchid was in bloom for a good 3 weeks, though with only one or two inflorescences at a time open.  Once Stanhopeas grow large enough, they are able to provide you with weeks of bloom even thought the individual flowers may last 3-5 days.

Stanhopea shuttleworthii with 5 inflorescences

This Stanhopea is native to Colombia and is found in foothills around 3000 feet (1000 m) in elevation. This species is listed as a warm grower, but seems to do just fine outside here in southern California.  It is provided a little extra shelter of a roof overhang in winter, so the plant is grown a bit warmer than some of my other species. I have this growing on the north-east side of the house and it only gets approximately 1 hour of direct sun in the summer.  The leaves are 15 - 17 inches (38.1 - 43.2 cm) long, 3.4 - 3.8 inches (8.6 - 9.5 cm) wide, and narrowly lanceolate in shape. The flowers are 5.6 inches (14.3 cm) wide.



Stanhopea shuttleworthii hypochile detail

This form has deep golden yellow sepals and petals with several reddish-brown large spots. The petals have large deep red eye spots at the base. The hypochile is primarily yellow with dark blood red eyespots on the side with what appears to be blood red smears on the inside of the hypochile.  The horns and epichile are primarily white with small red spots on the inside of the horns and top of the epichile.  There are forms that have lighter yellow sepals and petals with lighter reddish spots.

The fragrance of S. shuttleworthii is difficult to describe.  Some people say it smells like mothballs, others say it smells like an expensive perfume.  The fragrance shifts a bit, first smelling similar to vanilla when the flowers first open, later a combination of sweet mothballs and a light lemon scent.  After the flower has been open for a few hours, the fragrance reminds me of lemon meringue.  Most people find the fragrance rather pleasing and a good combination.

 

 

One of my first attempts to capture Stanhopeas flowering. The difficulty is making sure you are up early enough to have the equipment running in order to capture all the movements of the buds opening ;-)

How do you know your Stanhopea is happy?

 

Stanhopea shuttleworthii in bud

Other than the rather easy answer that your Stanhopea blooms consistently for you every year, there are other signs to observe that can help you understand how well your Stanhopea is growing.  A flowering Stanhopea is usually a content Stanhopea. I have noticed that they will not flower if they are severely stressed or not in the correct environment.  A Stanhopea that consistently produces several inflorescences every year is large enough and being provided the right care in order for it to put a great amount of effort and resources into flowering well.



Stanhopea insignis exhibiting older robust
pseudobulbs and new growth.

A plant that has several new and mature growths is doing well and will have the energy reserves to flower the following year.  A plant that has large pseudobulbs (this varies according to the species) is more likely to produce larger growths and more inflorescences.  Large and firm pseudobulbs are a sign that the plant is doing well.  Some species have folds or wrinkled surfaces such as S. insignis that may look like they are desiccated.  However, if you gently press the pseudobulb between your thumb and index finger and it is firm, then the plant is doing well.  However, if the pseudobulb is spongy or soft, then the plant may be getting either too much or too little water. 




Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea
producing several inflorescences

Once you have grown your Stanhopea for a few years, you may want to make a trophy plant out of it, re-basket it into a large basket and let it fill the entire container. This will provide you with a massive plant that will produce several if not dozens of inflorescences and bloom for several weeks. These trophy plants are very attractive and show stoppers. However, your orchid cannot remain in the same container forever, and it will eventually decline unless it is divided and re-basketed. Several growers have reported that a Stanhopea that was in decline and not blooming well was invigorated by dividing it and re-basketing the pieces.



Stanhopea gibbosa new root growth

Another sign that a plant is doing well is that it is producing new roots with green growth at the tips, this signifies a growing and elongating root.  The roots should be produced around the base of new pseudobulbs and also throughout the basket. In fact, I usually consider a Stanhopea is doing very well when you can see root growth around the outside edge of the basket.  This signifies that the plant is growing well and producing enough root growth to encompass the entire basket.  This root growth takes advantage of all the water and nutrients in the growing medium every time you water.  Root growth is most evident in the spring and summer months. If roots are not actively growing at this time, you may want to check your plant and make sure that it is receiving the correct amount of water. 

A plant that is not getting enough water will have a growing medium that is dry and the basket will be very light.  Your plant should always be moist, but not sopping wet.  An over dry plant will have roots that will turn gray in color and the roots will begin to die and become desiccated.  If your plant is receiving too much water the roots may not be receiving enough air for gas exchange.  In this last case the media will be soggy and the roots will look very dark brown to black and may be rotting in the anaerobic environment.





Gongora galeata

Gongora galeata with several inflorescences

Gongora (Acropera) galeata

This is a small Mexican species that was originally the type for the genus Gongora, unless you agree that it should be in its own genus of Acropera. This plant is easy to maintain in a 5” basket and the thin strap shaped leaves are small enough to be a miniature plant in the collection. The leaves are 6.0 - 9.0 inches (15 - 22.5 cm) long and 1.0 - 1.5 inches (2.5 - 3.8 cm) wide. This species is found in cloud forests from 1,970 - 5,900 feet (600 to 1800 meters) in elevation and prefers warm conditions with constant moisture and good air movement.  It does perform well in southern California growing outdoors given extra moisture is provided to prevent desiccation because of the small size of the plant. This orchid also prefers a location that always has air movement, and part shade.  Unfortunately, this plant’s leaves are easily affected by a fungus that causes leaf spot when there is not enough air movement. Leaf tip burn can be a problem in areas where water is high in salts and dissolved solids. 

Gongora galeata close up of flowers

The flowers are often seen as a form with a yellow or golden labellum (lip) with red spots at the base, and reddish brown to flesh pink sepals and petals. There is also a form that has bright yellow/green sepals and petals which provides a nice contrast with the labellum. The fragrance of this orchid has often been described as similar to an orange. I have only detected this fruit-like fragrance as subtle in the forms that I grow, and instead would describe it as a nice clean fragrance similar to freshly laundered and starched shirts!

Micaela's Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea

Micaela's Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea

This form was grown by my friend Micaela from the Riverside-San Bernardino Counties Orchid Society and has two inflorescences on each side of the basket. This plant has bloomed for her for two years in a row. She has to water it quite often in the summer when the temperatures are warm.  It is planted in sphagnum moss and is being grown outdoors under a patio....way to go Micaela!

My form of S. tigrina var. nigroviolacea

Comparing Micaela's form above and mine to the left exhibits a wide array of color variation in this variety . These two forms differ in the amount and intensity of the oxblood coloration on the sepals and petals, and the white and yellow coloration particularly on the hypochile.  This is my form that bloomed last July for the first time in 5 years. I was attempting to grow the plant in a new location and it received too much sun.The leaves were scorched by the end of summer, and I had to rebasket the plant to try to save it. Five years later, it finally forgave the treatment and bloomed again.This year it has two inflorescences growing and is producing four new leaves. 



My form of S. tigrina var. nigroviolacea 
with two flowers


I have learned through trial and error that too much sun and a lack of water will set a mature plant back and prevent a good bloom cycle.  In some cases this will continue for years until the plant is provided with more shade, regular water, and the pseudobulb increases in size enough to allow it to produce an inflorescence.  A life lesson learned….treat your Stanhopeas well and they will reward you!  This is an excellent Stanhopea to grow outdoors in southern California, especially due to the huge 6.7 inch (17 cm) wide flowers and heady vanilla/candy fragrance.