This orchid is native to Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. It
grows in intermediate to warm mountain forests 2,625– 4,593 feet (800-1400
m) in elevation. This is also one
of the easiest species of Stanhopea to
grow outdoors here in southern California, and can take early morning sun and
dappled shade the rest of the day. The
form pictured here is one of the spotted forms with pale red eye spots on the
hypochile and small red spots on the petals and sepals. There are also small red spots on the
epichile and column. There are some
forms of this species that are alba forms and lack red color on the flower. The fragrance of this Stanhopea is a light cinnamon scent and is consistent with the
fragrance study done that includes trans-cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl-alcohol, and
cinnamyl-acetate. These provide a
fragrance that is similar to a candy known as “Hot Tamales”, and the flowers
have a similar fragrance to the candy. There
are other forms that have different compounds as the main fragrance components
such as phenethyl alcohol which provides a sweet to floral, rose fragrance, or
even one like freshly baked bread. It is
interesting to note that the form that I have exhibits a change in the
fragrance as the flower ages and smells more like cinnamon French toast, so some
phenethyl alcohol must be produced at that time as well.
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| Stanhopea ruckeri with five inflorescences |
The flowers are 4.5 to 5.5 inches (11.4 to 14.0 cm) wide with
several flowers (5-10) on an inflorescence.
The inflorescences can be quite long, 9 to 15 inches (22.9 to 38.1 cm)
in length. Because the inflorescences
are so long, this species can make a very nice specimen placed in a large
basket that enables the inflorescences to grow out and down. The leaves of this orchid are a deep green, and
are 7.9 to 24.0 inches (20 to 61 cm) long and 3.9 to 4.7 inches (10 to 12 cm) wide. The pseudobulbs are 1.6-2.2 inches (4.0 to 5.6
cm) long and deeply furrowed. This Stanhopea is also one of the more easily
grown species and is readily available in the orchid nursery trade. Stanhopea
ruckeri
grows rapidly, and is a reliable
bloomer every year. It produces several
inflorescences at a time and quickly grows into a specimen plant. These attributes make this Stanhopea a good candidate to grow for a
beginner, and several Stanhopea growers
rate this species as the one that we should all have.
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| Stanhopea ruckeri flower |
