Essence of Stanhopea

If you haven't grown Stanhopea orchids, you are missing one of nature's finest offerings. And, if you haven't gotten to know Stanhopea orchid growers, you are missing out on a very special and fine group of people...

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Embreea rodigasiana

Huge flowers, mysterious heavy scent reminiscent of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, dramatic color and structure of the blooms and a very close relative of stanhopea’s - this is embreea rodigasiana. Until 1980’s it was part of stanhopea’s range and then been re-classified in the specie of it’s own. This one is not an easy orchid to bring to flower - it demands huge amount of water during it’s growing cycle and strongly dislike change of temperature, making it really difficult during our winter time to look after it properly. If it’s growing requirements not met completely  it just refusing to flower - a lot to do with it’s natural habitat of hot, misty, clouded forests of  Colombia and Ecuador. I am forever learning with this one, trying to find the best conditions for it’s growing and blooming cycle, don’t mind the challenge because the rewards are huge - seeing this dramatic looking orchid in bloom and smelling it’s mysterious scent I can more appreciate Nature for creating such beauty.

Essence of Stanhopea

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New stanhopea flowering season started.

Here we are right in the middle of new stanhopea flowering season now. Many of my orchids have flower spikes bringing anticipation of seeing beautiful and majestic flowers soon. Every flowering season is different and brings a lot of surprises - colours, scents, textures. Some of the early flowering stanhopea’s already in bloom and it’s so nice seeing them again in all their glory. Here are the plants that flowered first this season - 

Essence of Stanhopea

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Stanhopea orchids in the wild

Many stanhopea growers and collectors love to see images of stanhopea orchids growing in the wild. Unfortunately, not many of these pictures available for obvious reasons - the flowering season is short and a chance to encounter flowering stanhopea in the wild is still just that - a chance. Also, it seems rather difficult to find large specimens of stanhopeas in nature that we in the cultivated situations are familiar with - insects, animals, bad weather and other elements in stanhopeas habitats contribute to this. Here just a few images that I was able to find of flowering stanhopeas in their natural surroundings. Thank you to Eduard Faria, Philip Davison, Luc Rubrecht and all others who was able to share these stunning images with all friends of stanhopea orchids around the world.

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Stanhopea Gary Baker

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Stanhopea embreei 

Stanhopea embreei native to Ecuador, mostly from the western slopes of Andes. It’s relatively new specie, only been discovered in 1960’s and documented in 1980’s and becoming very popular with collectors.

Essence of Stanhopea

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Stanhopea tigrina

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Stanhopea Gary Baker

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Stanhopea embreei x wardii

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Stanhopea insignis

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Stanhopea inodora

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Stanhopea inodora x wardii aurea

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Stanhopea graveolens x greerii 

This handsome stanhopea just finished it's flowering season. It's a very interesting cross of stanhopea graveolens and stanhopea grerii. I've been patiently waiting to see this beauty in flower for a while, since it have such a great parentage. It have perfectly sculptured flowers and a kind of luminous appearance, special and strong heady scent reminiscent of herbs and many spices - there are many layers to it's perfume that comes in waves. It's a beautiful addition to my ever-growing stanhopea collection and I am looking forward learning with it and seeing more of it's special, majestic blooms. 

Essence of Stanhopea

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My Stanhopea saccata "Libra" CBM/AOS

Essence of Stanhopea

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Stanhopea oculata x jenischiana 

Here is an introduction to a beautiful new stanhopea cross of oculata x jenischiana. It have very colorful blooms of deep rich yellow with many many dark burgundy colored spots all over the flowers. I’ve had this stanhopea’s seedling for a while, patiently waiting for it to mature and to finally show it’s beauty - because of an outstanding parentage it promised to be a spectacular cross, but of course one does know until it flowers and this one did not disappoint. The plant is of medium size, yet the flowers are large and showy, it sends out a number of flower spikes during it’s growing season and the blooms have very sweet, fruity scent that resembles cherry/ black currants/apricots - an absolute delight! Another beautiful stanhopea orchid for my ever growing collection. 

Essence of Stanhopea

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Stanhopea oculata var ruckeri 

This special and very rare stanhopea oculata var ruckeri finished it’s flowering season - it’s a beautiful oculata variety with many interesting features.

It’s a medium size plant with smallish size flowers and nice coloring, distinct eyes and many purple dots all over the blooms. The flowers themselves look like little birds of prey. The scent is very   herbal/spicy strong and penetrating. Another beautiful stanhopea variety that not often seen in cultivation for my collection.

Essence of Stanhopea

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Stanhopea jenischiana Carlyle 

Here is very special stanhopea  jenischiana variety Carlyle from my collection that just finished it’s flowering season. It’s very beautiful jenischiana with colorful, striking appearance, it came to me as small, unflowered seedling and I’ve been waiting for a while to see it’s blooms. For some reason, jenischiana’s have have this “difficult to bloom” reputation and over the years I’ve heard so many stories from many fellow stanhopea growers about keeping it almost bone-dry to induce flowering, not giving it fertilizer or positioning it in full sun  - none of them sat well with me for a simple reason that this specie mostly native to Cauca valley in Colombia and one small isolated population in southern Equador near Pinas where it grows in a very wet mountain forests so my plants get plenty of feed, plenty of water and shady, filtered light. The flowers of jenischiana Carlyle have rich, striking coloring of deep, buttery orange with many many dark burgundy spots and the scent is very sweet with many herbal and spicy undertones  - one can smell clove, nutmeg, cinnamon wrapped in sweetness and it lingers around for a long time. It’s very special stanhopea to love and to admire and to reflect on the Nature producing this beautiful orchid.

Essence of Stanhopea

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Stanhopea xytriophora 

This special and very rare stanhopea just finished it’s flowering season and it gave me a great pleasure to see this beauty in bloom. It’s one of the rarest species in the stanhopea orchids range and not many plants of stanhopea xytriophora around, making it very desired stanhopea for any serious collector. Stanhopea xytriophora specie was first documented by Reichenbach in 1868 - he received unknown orchid from Peru, studied it and gave it it’s current name - xytriophora and for a while no more plants of this specie was collected. Later on, in 1921, in 1958, in 1965 this specie was mentioned in some publications by various collectors, including Barney Greer in 1998. My plant is one of the plants from his collection that I treasure. It’s beautiful stanhopea with white/creamy medium size flowers, red eyes and many red spots on the petals with very strong, piercing scent of spices - there is no sweetness to the scent - just strong, spicy smell that lingers for a long time. The plant itself is of medium size and it’s rather a slow grower that perhaps will test the patience of any stanhopea collector because it’s flowering cycle truly left for the Nature to sort out  - stanhopea xytriophora flowering have it’s own timing and rhythm and all one can do just go with it. And then to enjoy it’s special, rare blooms. 

Essence of Stanhopea