Stanhopea oculata (purple spot form)

This is a different form of S. oculata that blooms later in the fall than the yellow form that blooms in early summer.  This form has a cream to buff background color on the petals and sepals and also has dark purple spots.  The spots are rather dense on the upper hypochile and there are several dark pink to purple spots near the eye spots on the hypochile as well as on the epichile.  The upper hypochile has a bend that is greater than 90 degrees, but this form does seem to fit into the S. oculata complex.  The upper hypochile is also a deep yellow color.  This form also appreciates warmer and dryer winters than the other forms I have.  It appears to be more of an intermediate grower and grows better with winter night time temperatures between 50.0-60.0°F (10-15.6° C).

Stanhopea oculata (purple spot form) inflorescence.

 

This form has consistently bloomed in fall and begins to push out inflorescences in September.  The flowers are approximately the same size as the other forms up to 4.0 - 4.5 inches (10.2 - 11.4 cm) in diameter.  The fragrance of this form is similar to the yellow form of S. oculata that blooms in early summer with a chocolate peppermint fragrance, though there is a slight infusion of the camphor fragrance that the golden form of S. oculata has.  Altogether this is a good form of this species that extends the bloom season into the fall, and has more color combinations than the other forms. 

Stanhopea oculata (purple spot form) hypochile.

Stanhopea oculata (gold form)

Stanhopea oculata (gold form) inflorescence

This is a different form of Stanhopea oculata that I purchased because it has golden yellow flowers that are more intense than the other forms of the species.  The upper hypochile has a deep golden yellow color and the sepals and petals are a light to golden yellow color. This form also blooms at a later time (late summer/early fall)  than the pale cream to yellow colored form, and it only has two large eyespots on the upper hypochile rather than the four in the pale form. The eyespots and spots on the petals and sepals are a reddish brown color.

Stanhopea oculata (gold form) flower

This form also has a different fragrance that is similar to Eucalyptus, or a little like camphor.  This fragrance tends to align with the 1.8 cineole identified for most S. oculata in a study conducted by Witten and Williams in 1992.  This is a different fragrance than the other form I have that resembles chocolate mint with vanilla.  This is a great form of S. oculata that should be in everyone’s collection.

Stanhopea nigripes

Stanhopea nigripes young inflorescence

This Stanhopea is native to Peru and grows from elevations of 2,625-6,235 feet (800-1900 m).  It grows in mountain forests that have high humidity and environments that are often moist to wet.  This is one of the Stanhopeas in my collection that dislikes dry growing media and prefers to be moist at all times. This species especially responds well to extra water in the summer and during dry windy days.  It prefers shade and it grows on the north east side of my house where it receives no direct sun, even in the summer months.  This orchid is listed as an intermediate to cool grower, so I have it growing near the protection of the house and covered eaves.

The fragrance of this orchid is a rather heady mixture of eucalyptus and camphor mixed with vanilla.  This is an intense fragrance for this orchid and it can be detected a few feet away from the flowers.  It is a very pleasing fragrance especially around the end of the year holidays.

Stanhopea nigripes flower

The inflorescences are short 4.0-6.0 in. (10-15 cm) long, therefore  this species does best growing in smaller and shallower baskets.  The flowers are 3.9-4.3 in. (10-11 cm) wide and are beige to a light cream in color with the upper hypochile and base of the petals enfused with yellow.  This form was a bit difficult to identify because it superficially resembled S. florida in color and the flowers are slightly larger than typical, but the bend in the hypochile is greater than 90 degrees, therefore more similar to  S. nigripes.  I had originally purchased this species as S. haselowiana, but the epichile does not have the shallow bend of that species.  To ensure proper identification I sent these photos to Rudolf Jenny, and he has determined that this is S. nigripes.  Thank you Mr. Jenny!

Stanhopea nigripes hypochile

The species is a short to medium sized Stanhopea with pseudobulbs 1.2-1.6 in. (3.0-4.0 cm) wide and leaves 7.9-12.6 in. (20-32 cm) long.

Stanhopea saccata

Stanhopea saccata with two flowers on a young plant



This Stanhopea is native from Mexico to Costa Rica and grows at elevations from 1,640 to 4,920 feet (500 to 1500 m).  At the upper range in elevation, these orchids can be associated with oak forest habitats.  This is an intermediate to cool grower and does well growing outdoors in coastal southern California.  This species enjoys some early morning direct sun and flowers for me in the fall.  This orchid’s flowers are described as having a cinnamon fragrance, though I have found this form to have a scent that is a combination of camphor with a bit of cinnamon.  The fragrance is light but noticeable when you are close by the flowers.  The inflorescences of this species generally grow at the surface of the growing medium, so they tend to run into the side of the basket.  Care should be taken to direct the inflorescences over the rim, so that they can mature unimpeded.

Stanhopea saccata showing the three lobed lip

The flowers of this species are up to 5.1 in. (13 cm) wide.  The sepals are permeated with a green color on the reverse side, so when the flowers are viewed from the front, they appear to glow and have a light yellow/green color.  The petals and sepals have a deep golden yellow color infused in the lower portions near the hypochile, and are covered with profuse small reddish brown spots.  The hypochile has an enlarged sack-like form that is similar to other closely related Stanhopea (S. tigrina). The horns are larger and wider than other related species (S. pseudoradiosa, and S. radiosa).  The epichile is deeply folded in the center and it has three distinct lobes similar to other species in the Saccata group.  The center lobe is smaller than the two outer lobes.

Stanhopea saccata close-up showing the golden colored,
 sack-like hypochile and wide horns

The leaves of this species are 17-19 in. (43.2-48.3 cm) long, 2.5-2.8 in. (6.4-7.1 cm) wide, and are lanceolate in shape.  The pseudobulbs of this form are 2.0 in. (5.0 cm) tall and 1.5 in. (3.8 cm) wide, and are laterally compressed.

Stanhopea costaricensis

Stanhopea costaricensis inflorescence

Stanhopea costaricensis is native to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama from elevations 1,640 to 3,280 feet (500 to 1000 m).  It is native to tropical and warm forests, and grows best in intermediate to warm conditions. This species does not tolerate low humidity and high light situations and the leaves can burn easily in direct sun.  The inflorescence is up to 8 inches (20.3 cm) long and often 3-5 flowered, making this a good choice for large basket culture.  The flowers are 5.5 inches (14 cm) wide and resemble those of S. oculata.  However, the hypochile has a restricted center portion that makes it form two broad segments that are almost unique in Stanhopea (S. gibbosa has a similar shaped hypochile).

Stanhopea costaricensis flowers

This is a seedling that I purchased from Tropical Orchid Farm of Hawaii and it has a light yellow to cream color in the sepals and petals with several torus shaped (like the letter O) spots that are reddish brown.  The petals have two solid distinct eyes in the same color.  The hypochile is light pink to flesh colored and has dark red eyes and is stippled with red to dark pink small spots.  The mesochile is cream colored and the horns are the same color with the interior portion exhibiting several pink spots.  The epichile is also cream colored with dark pink spots.  This form is an example of variation seen in the species with some forms having less pink and more yellow in the hypochile.  Seedlings can pay off sometimes providing some of the most favorable color variations and spot characters.

Stanhopea costaricensis flower close-up

 

The fragrance of this orchid is camphor scented when it first opens and later it is a combination of camphor and cinnamon.  This species has become one of my new best favorites and a nice fall bloomer that extends the blooming season for my Stanhopea collection!