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.

What is Stanhopea?





I was asked to make a brief outline of Stanhopea so that those individuals who visit this site are provided general information for this orchid group.  Stanhopea is a genus within the Orchidaceae (The Orchid Family).  These orchids are epiphytic (grow on trees), and occasionally semi-terrestrial (found growing in leaf mold and duff) on slopes.  They grow in moderate to high rainfall areas in tropical and subtropical climates, and are native to Mexico, Central America, and South America (see the table below for the number of species per country).  These orchids grow in forests receiving part to deep shade, and in habitats from near sea level up to 9,840 ft. (0 to 3,000 m). Several species grow in mountain foothill forests and many species can survive short dry seasons.  There are approximately 65 species currently recognized with 5 natural hybrids and dozens of man made hybrids registered.

Country	Number of Species	Country	Number of Species	Country	Number of Species	Country	Number of Species
Argentina	1	Costa Rica	11	Guyana	1	Paraguay	1
Belize	3	Ecuador	12	Honduras	6	Peru	13
Bolivia	5	El Salvador	4	Mexico	13	Suriname	1
Brazil	6	French Guiana	1	Nicaragua	9	Trinidad	1
Colombia	19	Guatemala	8	Panama	13	Venezuela	5

   Table of Stanhopea species listed by country. This list includes the five known natural hybrids. 

This orchid genus is known for prominent pseudobulbs that are oval to rounded in shape, from 1.0-2.0 in. (2.5-5.0 cm) wide, topped with a single lanceolate to elliptic shaped leaf.  The plants are usually small to moderate sized orchids from 8.0-26.0 in. (20 cm to 65 cm) tall.  The unusual nature of blooming and presentation of the inflorescences by growing through the bottom of growing media is a unique characteristic of these orchids.  The pendent inflorescences require that the orchid be grown in wire baskets to allow the inflorescence to mature.  The flowers are fantastic in their shape and complexity, and have  an intricate pollination biology.  For additional information on the flowers of Stanhopea see the The Stanhopea Morphology Page.

Micaela's Stanhopea graveolens
growing in a greenhouse

The genus was named by John Frost after the Fourth Earl of Stanhope - Sir Philipp Henry (president of the Medico- Botanical Society of London at the time) and described by William Jackson Hooker in 1829.  Stanhopea insignis is the species that was first described within the genus Stanhopea; however, Stanhopea hernandezii  was described first under a name derived from the Aztec language(Coatzonte Coxochitl) in Francisco Herdandez’s work Rerum Medicarum Novae Hispaniae Thesarus finalized in 1575.  It is interesting to note that in the Aztec language (Nahuatl) the word coatzontecoxóchitl can translate as "snake-head flower" (Ossenback, 2009).  This word or similar words were used by the Aztecs to describe several orchids including S. hernandezii and S. tigrina.  These and other orchids were revered by the Aztecs for their beauty and fragrance (Bateman, 1837-43) and several were used in decoration (Hagsater et al., 2005).  It is clear from these accounts that the Aztecs were also captivated by Stanhopeas!  For a more detailed account of the history of Stanhopea see (Jenny, 2010).

References:

Bateman, J. 1837-43.  The Orchidaceae from Mexico and Guatemala. J. Hidgway and Sons, London.

Hágsater, E. Soto Arenas, M.A., Salazar, G., Jiménez, R., López, M. and Dressler, R. 2005. Las Orquideas de México, Productos Farmaceuticos, S.A. de C.V., México.

Jenny, R. 2010.  The Stanhopea Book.  Imprenta Mariscal, Quito, Ecuador.

Ossenback, C. 2009. Orchids and orchidology in Central America: 500 years of history. Lankesteriana V. 9, 1-2.

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!

Stanhopea candida

Stanhopea candida

Stanhopea candida inflorescence

This orchid is native to warm forests and foothills of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.   It is found at elevations from 330 to 1,970 feet (100 to 600 m).  This is one of the several Stanhopeas that need warm temperatures all year around, so I bring the plant inside the house from November through March.  I grow it outside in the spring and summer months on the north side of the house where it receives indirect light and mostly shade.  This orchid enjoys a warm and humid atmosphere with a relatively moist growing medium.  It also grows well in ventilated ares with a good breeze.  The fragrance of S. candida is primarily the scent of wintergreen.  Wintergreen is one of the major components in the pain reliever Bengay, so that is exactly what this flower smells like, though it is rather light in scent.  This is a fall blooming species of Stanhopea, though some have reported that it also blooms in the spring.

 

Stanhopea candida hypochile with
small pink spots

This Stanhopea is closely related to S. grandiflora and S. reichenbachiana.  The flowers are small (2.75 to 3.15 inches – 7.0 to 8.0 cm) wide, primarily white, and have no real horns.  There are two short curved projections on either side of the upper hypochile.  The remaining hypochile is joined into a short tube that opens to both the upper hypochile and epichile.  On the front side of the hypochile are small pink spots, the only other color on this flower.  The epichile is a short lanceolate shaped projection.  The column is an off white color that is infused with green and is almost florescent. The leaves of S. candida are usually 9.8 to 19.6 inches (25 to 50 cm) long; however, my form has shorter leaves 9 to 12 inches (22.8 to 30.5 cm) long and 2.5 to 4.2 inches (6.4 to 10.7 cm) wide.  These orchids are  rather short  with small pseudobulbs 0.75 to 1.2 inches (1.9 to 3.0 cm) wide at maturity.  The plant may be smaller in size because it is still a little young.  I also grow it outdoors in the summer where it is less humid and warm in comparison to the tropical conditions the orchid finds acceptable.



Stanhopea candida hypochile and column

In side profile the hypochile has a rather rectangular configuration.  The buds of this species emerge through the inflorescence bracts rather early in development, and spend a large amount of time developing outside the bracts.  This is in contrast to many other Stanhopea that allow the buds to develop for a long time inside the inflorescence bracts before they emerge.





Southland Orchid Show 2012

Stanhopea jenischiana with four
flowers on the inflorescence

A well grown Stanhopea jenischiana  was exhibited by Joe Kles of the Riverside/San Bernardino Counties Orchid Society during the Southland Orchid Show at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, in San Marino, California. The orchid had perfect timing and was in bud for the setup of the show. The morning of show judging the flowers opened and the plant was awarded a blue ribbon. Congradulations Joe!

 

 

Stanhopea jenischiana exhibiting
 the narrow upper hypochile

 

This Stanhopea is rather easy to distinguish from some of the other species due to the narrow upper hypochile.  It is very thin where it joins the petals and sepals.  I could not detect much of a fragrance off this flower, perhaps because it was surrounded by several other fragrant orchids!  The flowers stayed open all three days of the show, so the public was able to enjoy them as well.

 

Coryhopea Red Martian

 

Coryhopea Red Martian inflorescence with three flowers

 

This orchid is an intergeneric cross between Stanhopea martiana and Coryanthes macrantha var. aureum.  There is a lot of hybrid vigor to the plant and it grows large rather quickly.  The flowers don’t open fully and are best viewed from below. They are quite spectacular to look at and have been described as alien looking.  The fragrance of the flowers is rather similar to cherry cough syrup or cherry cola.  This is a very agreeable fragrance indeed. There are two leaves per pseudobulb. The leaves are lanceolate in shape 18 to 19 inches (45.7 to 48.3 cm) long, and 3.0 to 4.25 inches (7.6 to 10.8 cm) wide.

 



Coryhopea Red Martian flower
photographed from below

The flowers are 3.5 to 4.5 inches (8.9- 11.4 cm) wide and a deep red color with many mahogany to red spots on the sepals, petals, and hypochile.  The sepals and petals are cream to white at the tips with red spots.  The upper hypochile is orange-red to deep red in color and the mesochile and horns are yellow with mahogany spots/streaks.  The epichile is bright yellow on the lower portion with deep red spots/streaks, turning solid red on the upper portion..



Coryhopea Red Martian with
human heart shaped buds

Unopened buds are a joy to watch grow and develop.  Once they mature they almost appear to be oddly shaped human hearts.  This makes the opening of the flowers full of anticipation and almost unnerving! I grow this orchid warm and bring it indoors during the winter given that one of the parents of the cross is a warm growing Coryanthes.  It spends the rest of the year growing outdoors on the north side of my house.