Stanhopea tigrina 'SanBar Gold'

S. tigrina var. nigroviolacea 'SanBar Gold'

   

This is another spectacular form of the Mexican species Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea.  These are the first flowers that have been produced by this plant, but it is a rather vigorous form and produces several growths per year.  I am looking forward to additional inflorescences next year. The flowers have some of the most intense colors of yellow-gold I have seen in this species.  The infusion of gold is most prevalent at the sepal and petal tips and even into the horns.

 

S. tigrina var. nigroviolacea 'SanBar Gold'
showing gold color on back of sepals

The deep gold color is also infused into the back of the petals which makes the flower glow a brilliant golden color.  The back of the petals of the other forms I have are a buff or light yellow in color.  These color combinations make this form a winner in my opinion, especially because of the gold combined with the deep oxblood color of the petals and sepals. 

Stanhopea ruckeri var. alba

This is the form of S. ruckeri that lacks red in the flowers, with no eye spots and no red spots on the petals, sepals, hypochile and column.  The flower is a clean off-white color with green to green blue color infused into the sepals and petals.  The hypochile is a deep yellow color at the base and ivory white on the epichile.  The column is white with a well-defined blue-green infusion of color in the center that is often not captured well in photographs.  Altogether this is a good representative of the crisp and clean color combinations of an alba form of S. ruckeri in sharp contrast to the red spotted form.

S. ruckeri var. alba flowers

S. ruckeri var. alba column with blue-green coloration

 

The fragrance of this flower is very light and almost undetectable.  It favors a slight fresh baked bread scent mixed with lily.   It would seem that this is the form that was given the specific epithet of inodora for its” lack “of fragrance compared with other more fragrant Stanhopea.  This orchid also resembles the plate of S. inodora found in Edward's Botanical Register and published in 1845, from a plant that was imported from Mexico.

Stanhopea stevensonii

This orchid is native to Colombia.  It grows in intermediate to warm mountain forests at approximately 1,312 feet (400-m) in elevation.  This species requires shade and copious amounts of water.  I grow the plant on the north side of my house, and  it appears to need more shade thus it grows better here than with greater sun exposure.  This species has golden yellow flowers with pale red eye spots on the upper hypochile, and few small red spots on the petals and sepals.  There are also small red spots on the epichile and column.  The fragrance of this Stanhopea is difficult to describe and smells sweet but rather chemical-like.  The fragrance is similar to sweet grass with trace amounts of fresh pine needles. Some individuals have described the fragrance as being similar to moth balls, but I have not detected this fragrance in fresh flowers. 

Stanhopea stevensonii inflorescence

 

The flowers are 3.0 to 3.2 inches (7.6 to 8.1 cm) wide with several flowers (5-7) on an inflorescence.   The inflorescences are rather short, to 6 inches (15.2 cm) in length.  This is one of the smaller Stanhopea with short inflorescences, so it is best to grow it in a small basket.  I grow my specimen in an 8 inch (20 cm) basket and it has been doing well in that size basket for years. The leaves of this orchid are a light green, and are 7.5 to 10.5 inches (19 to 26 cm) long and 3.9 to 4.8 inches (10 to 12 cm) wide.  The pseudobulbs are 1.6-2.2 inches (4.0 to 5.6 cm) long and deeply furrowed. 

Stanhopea stevensonii flower

Cirrhaea dependens

This is a small to medium sized orchid that is native to Brazil and found in seasonally dry forests from elevation of 2,297 to 3,937 feet (700 to 1200 m).  The orchid grows in warm locations and requires part shade to prevent the leaves from burning.  It does well in conditions that are similar for growing most Gongora.  The inflorescences are pendulous  1.0 to 1.3 feet (30-40 cm) long, and emerge from the top of the growing medium, so it is best to grow this orchid in baskets.

Cirrhaea dependens flower "dark form"

The flowers are resupinate so even though the inflorescence grows down, the labellum faces up and opens partially.  The flowers can have a green to yellow background with pink to red spots over the petals and sepals.  The form that is in this photograph is the” dark form” with deep maroon markings on the sepals and petals.  The flowers are also short lived similar to Stanhopea and last for only a few days.

Cirrhaea dependens inflorescence
with partially opened flowers

 

 

Stanhopea ruckeri

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.



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.

Stanhopea ruckeri flower

Stanhopea Romp 1 - Andy's Orchids

I was pleased that Andy Phillips from Andy's Orchids agreed to assist me with documenting historical live collections of Stanhopea collected in the wild, and we met at the nursery to discuss this and other research. As always, Andy is a wealth of information on orchids - a real walking encyclopedia.  In between visits from clients I had an opportunity to have a tour of the nursery that is a guided affair.  I had a nice time discussing the trials of Stanhopea cultivation with one of Andy's horticulturalists Katrin.

My favorite place in the nursery is of course "Stanhopea Alley".  Stanhopea are found in many parts of the nursery, but this is the main area for the cool to intermediate growers that can perform well growing outdoors in coastal southern California.

Stanhopea Alley and outdoor growing
 Stanhopea species

In here I found a very nice Stanhopea ruckeri in bloom and bud.  This form has a great cinnamon fragrance and the green tinted column is a nice touch!  I missed the blooming of S. martiana by a few days and the S. oculata that was in spike was a few weeks away.  Several Acineta were also in spike in this area!

Stanhopea ruckeri with a nice cinnamon fragrance

In one of the warm greenhouses I found Acineta superba in bloom, Stanhopea xytriophora in bud (just a day or so away from blooming), and Stanhopea jenischiana 'Catorce' in bud.

Acineta suberba inflorescence

 

Stanhopea xytriophora in bud

 

Stanhopea jenischiana 'Catorce'
inflorescence

 

I had to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming.  Katrin took me into another greenhouse to see a Stanhopea that just opened.  I almost could not believe that this was Stanhopea haselowiana.  This was the first time I had the opportunity to see this species in flower - it was fantastic and definitely the highlight to my tour!  Thanks Andy and Kat!



Kat with a nice Stanhopea haselowiana

 

Stanhopea haselowiana flower with intense
purple/red spots in psychedelic patterns.

 

Stanhopea oculata

This species is native to Mexico and Central America (perhaps south to Brazil) from elevations of 3,280-9,842 feet (1000 to 3000 m). It is found in foothill and mountain forests and it grows in intermediate to cool conditions.  This is one of the Stanhopea that can easily grow outdoors in coastal southern California and requires shade and high humidity to perform well. The flowers are moderate sized 4.3-4.5 inches (10.8-11.4 cm) wide, and there are many forms that are buff colored to bright yellow.  There is a considerable amount of variation in color and quantity of spots on the petals and sepals with most having a torus shaped (like the letter O) red to purple colored spots.   Several forms have a plethora of intense red to purple spots on the upper hypochile and the epichile. 

Stanhopea oculata inflorescence

The best known characters used to identify this species is the narrow hypochile that is bent at a 90 degree angle, and several dark red eye spots along the hypochile and base of the petals.  The eye spots are what provide us with the epithet “oculata” meaning eyes in Latin.  The most common form of S. oculata sold in southern California has two eye spots on each side of the hypochile and also two eye spots on each petal.  The inflorescences are up to 25 cm long with 5 to 9 flowers per inflorescence.

Stanhopea oculata flower exhibiting
two eye spots at the base of each petal.

Along with the ease of growth and flowering, and the variable flower color, this species is also well known for its fragrance.  This fragrance has been described as vanilla mixed with mint and a hint of cocoa.  If that fragrance sounds too good to be true, it isn’t, it actually comes close to a chocolate peppermint patty candy scent.  The fragrance rivals that of S. tigrina and can easily fill a room, or be detected twenty feet away in my garden.  This is definitely a species that every Stanhopea grower should have at least one form of!

Stanhopea oculata inflorescence