Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea 'Glory of Mexico'

This form of Stanhopea tigrina has a soft yellow or buff background and less of the reddish brown markings on the petals and sepals than some other forms like 'Predator'. The yellow markings on the upper hypochile are also more intense in this form.  The flowers are as large as the other forms with a width of 6.1 inches (15.5 cm).  The fragrance is very similar to the others with a chocolate and vanilla scent, but this has a slight mothball fragrance as the flowers age.

For me this has been one of the most rapidly growing and rewarding of the S. tigrina var. nigroviolacea forms.  It has flowered from a 3.0 inch (8 cm) pot in two years with five inflorescences, and in that time the plant has doubled in size.  It always seems to be in growth and takes very few breaks throughout the year.  I will continue to monitor this variety and see how it performs against the eleven other forms of this species that I have growing in my yard.

Stanhopea hernandezii

This species is native to Mexico in a narrow range on the southwest side of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt at lower elevations from 5575 to 7220 feet (1700 to 2200 m) in moist forests with a seasonal dry period.  The range includes the states of Guerrero, Mexico, Michoacan and Morelos.  This Stanhopea grows as a semi-terrestrial and lithophyte in shallow soil over rock or in decaying leaf litter.  Because of the decrease in winter rainfall and growth with little cover, this orchid tends to dry out a bit over the winter and this initiates flowering in late spring and summer.  However, reducing water in the winter without sufficient humidity will often lead to leaf drop, so never let this species completely dry out.  This leaf drop will often occur on younger pseudobulbs.  I grow this species outside on the north side of the house with full shade to dappled sunlight.  This species is a cool to intermediate grower for southern California.

Stanhopea hernandezii inflorescence

The flowers of this species are approximately 3.7 inches (9.4 cm) across with large reddish spots throughout the petals and sepals over a background color that can be a cream to buff or yellow.  The species is included in the Saccata section of Stanhopea that have inflated hypochiles that are sack-like.  The inflorescence holds typically 2 to 3 flowers and is rather short 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) long.  The leaves of this clone are also short 5 to 6 inches (12.7 to 15.2 cm) long, while other clones have leaves 8 to 9 inches (20.3-22.9 cm) long.  The pseudobulbs are 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide and are oval and smooth, lacking many of the ribs seen in other Stanhopea.

Stanhopea hernandezii flower

The fragrance of this orchid is a bit difficult to describe but is a mixture of vanilla, herbs, peppermint, and cinnamon. The fragrance varies throughout the day and even has a similarity to bubblegum at times, very different than S. tigrina which this species is sometimes confused with.

Stanhopea hernandezii close up showing the inflated hypochile

Spring 2014 Inflorescences

This past winter was warm and dry which made it difficult to keep the Stanhopea watered and fertilized.  This warmer weather continued through spring when temperatures were averaging a few degrees above normal for several weeks.  The warmer weather has prompted inflorescences to grow and mature a few weeks earlier than normal.  I expect blooms to open  in the next few days.

A Small division of Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea 'Glory of Mexico' that has waited the last two years to bloom and is producing five well spaced inflorescences!

Stanhopea hernandezii with three inflorescences.  This will be the first time I get to see this plant in bloom though I have owned it for three years.  The first year it bloomed I was on vacation and missed the flowers opening.  Last year the buds blasted. This year may be the year the flowers open when I am present.

Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea getting ready to open.  Unfortunately one inflorescence went unnoticed and was stuck between two wires, so only three will bloom this year.

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.

Southland Orchid Show 2013

Two Stanhopea were on exhibit at the show, and the owner Joe Kles of the Riverside/San Bernardino Orchid Society did a great job bringing these species to into bloom again just in time for the show this year.  I am very envious that he was able to get the timing of these to bloom just right since my Stanhopea missed blooming for the show by a week.



Stanhopea graveolens inflorescence

Stanhopea ruckeri flower

In addition to Joe, the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens also exhibited several Stanhopeinae.  It was good to see several species in bloom for the show.

Acineta mirayae
 

Acineta superba almost in bloom....very nice! 
 I can't wait until mine has inflorescences this long.

Acineta chrysantha

Acineta is a genus of orchids that is part of the Stanhopeinae, and is native from Mexico to South America.  They are large plants with big pseudobulbs that have 2-4 leaves per pseudobulb.  The inflorescences can be 11.8 to 27.5 inches (30 to 70 cm) long.  This orchid is native to moist cloud forests of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Panama. It is found at elevations from 4,265 feet (1,300 m), and is a warm to cool growing orchid.  I grow this species outside with Stanhopea on the north facing side of my house in partial shade.



Acineta chrysantha inflorescence

The flowers of this species are waxy and up to 2.5 inches (6 cm) wide.  They open partially and are carried on long inflorescences to 27.5 inches (70 cm) long with up to 30 flowers.  The flowers have a base color of deep or golden yellow with reddish spots on the petals and sepals.  The labellum has large deep red spots and splotches.  The column, in contrast, is ivory white and minutely hairy at the base.  The fragrance of these orchids is rather complex, but ranges more toward a ginger or ginger beer fragrance.  I have heard of this species having a vanilla fragrance, but my variety has a more complex and intense scent.



Acineta chrysantha flower

This orchid has always bloomed for me in late summer and early fall.  The flowers last much longer than most Stanhopea, from two weeks, sometimes up to three weeks if the weather is cool.  The plant requires a cool and semi-dry rest period in early winter to induce blooms.  The first inflorescences grow out of the basket in July and take about 2-3 months to mature and open.

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.