Paphiopedilum kolopakingii

Our staff has lately been admiring this wonderful pale Paphiopedilum kolopakingii which we received in 2012 from Orchid Inn as Paphiopedilum kolopakingii var. topperi ('Jeanie' x 'Sam's Green Giant'). The typical kolopakingii has a lip that is burnished red amber.

The flowers of kolopakingii vary in size, with larger ones sometimes called variety topperi or gigantea. [But note that the Kew/MoBot Plant List doesn't recognize the varietal name topperi, and Phillip Cribb states in The Genus Paphiopedilum that he regards topperi as simply a large flowered form of kolopakingii.]

Kolopakingii makes a handsome specimen with all its flowers open simultaneously. The pale color of these flowers gives it a sort of ghostly presence in the hour before sunset in the Orchid Display House.

Dendrobium obtusiwhat?

Full disclosure: I'm not 100% certain of the name of this plant. But I'm fairly certain it is not Dendrobium obtusisepalum, the name that appeared on the label that we received from the grower.

Dendrobium obtusisepalum is a name that appears in the horticultural trade, but is not recognized as a legitimate name for any Dendrobium species. There exists a Dendrobium obtusipetalum, a synonym for Dendrobium wentianum, but that is not our plant. I believe our plant may be Dendrobium chrysopterum Schuit. & de Vogel. But I won't know until an inter-library loan delivers the original description published in the journal Orchideenfreund.

Why does it matter? In addition to maintaining the accuracy of our plant records, the correct name determines how we grow our plants. Dendrobium obtusipetalum is a high elevation species. But Dendrobium chrysopterum grows at 600 to 800 meters, with year round intermediate to warm temperatures and copious rainfall. If we want to keep this plant alive, we need to know its correct name.

Dendrobium chrysopterum grows in the Lake Kutubu area in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, according to Lavarack, Harris and Stocker in Dendrobium and its Relatives. It grows as an epiphyte in trees on lowland forest ridges where daytime maximum temperature reaches 87º F.

Regardless of name, this plant is a stunner and it could be the most commented upon orchid we have on display this week. The candy corn colored flowers are grouped on arching leafless pseudobulbs. The new pseudobulbs have purple tinged leaves. I'm hoping we can set a capsule on this plant this week.

Neomoorea irrorata

"Vinyl with citrus" is how Tres Fromme, our Landscape Design & Planning Manager, described the fragrance of Neomoorea irrorata yesterday. I happen to think Neomoorea irrorata has a sweet lemony jasmine scent. Name That Fragrance is a popular competitive sport around here. (...Okay, maybe there is a hint of new shower curtain scent in that fragrance.)

Neomoorea is one of our Euglossine bee pollinated orchids and is closely related to Houlletia and Stanhopea. Male Euglossine bees collect liquid fragrance from orchid flowers, not as food, but most likely to attract female bees.

I never wake up in a panic in the middle of the night thinking, The Neomoorea! Where did I put the Neomoorea? It's the size of a Smart Car and about as heavy. And it's not moving. So for the time being it's staying in the back up greenhouse. However you can admire one of its relatively small offspring flowering in the back of the Orchid Display House. A Neomoorea can grow frighteningly quickly given warmth, humidity and 50% shade.

Are there any other orchid species that share this particular shade of pumpkin orange? None leaps to mind. We have lots of gorgeous orchid species and hybrids in flower now during ORCHIDdaze: Surreal Beauty. I hope to see you here this weekend!

All Hail Paphiopedilum rothschildianum

One of the most renowned orchids in cultivation is flowering now in the Orchid Display House. Meet Paphiopedilum rothschildianum, Rothschild's Slipper Orchid. Of all of the species of Asian Slipper orchids it is thought to be one of the rarest in nature.

You can't miss its regal presence among the other slipper orchids growing on our limestone outcrop. Our plant measures about 2' in diameter and has 5 flowering spikes.

Rothschild's Slipper Orchid, which Phillip Cribb in The Genus Paphiopedilum (1998) describes as 'arguably the most handsome in the genus' was one of the most sought after orchids at the height of the 19th century orchid mania. Its story of repeated tragedy has made it a poster child for conservation of orchid habitats. Harold Koopowitz tells the story in Orchids and Their Conservation (2001).

Paphiopedilum rothschildianum occurs only on Mt. Kinabalu* on the island of Borneo. It was collected and introduced into cultivation in Europe and Britain in 1887. The original site appears to have been deliberately falsified by the collector, Sander & Sons, who gave the location as New Guinea in order to mislead rival collectors. For the next fifty years the exact location of this extraordinary orchid was a matter of conjecture.

In the late 1950's two populations were discovered at the base of Mt. Kinabalu. In 1959 many of the plants in flower were collected to decorate a bower welcoming Prince Philip to Kota Kinabalu, according to Koopowitz. The sudden reappearance of this magnificent orchid would certainly have been noted by attentive orchid collectors worldwide. Some plants ended up in cultivation, and many of the rothschildianums in cultivation today are descended from these.

In 1979 a third population was discovered in an area of Kinabalu park which subsequently lost its protected status. Plants outside the park are threatened by shifting agriculture, logging, mining and commercial development. An attempt at propagation and reintroduction onto Kinabalu in the 1980's ended catastrophically when the reintroduction site was burned.

Cribb reports that only two of the three sites remain on Kinabalu. Plants inside the park, although they are protected, are not entirely safe from determined poachers. He notes that 'collectors could practically exterminate both populations in a relatively short time.'

Follow the link to find out more about the very strange and slightly macabre pollination mechanism of some slipper orchids, including Paphiopedilum rothschildianum.

*Mt. Kinbalu has a diverse flora that includes over 1200 species of orchids, an impressive figure compared with the fifty-something orchid species in our state.

Rhycholaelia glauca

Rhyncholaelia glauca never seems to get as much attention as its comically hirsute cousin, Rhyncholaelia digbyana. And that's a shame. The flower appears to have been sculpted out of ivory. The leaves are a dusty blue-grey (glaucous is the botanical term for this, hence the name). It's so elegant. I experience one of those fall-in-love moments every time I see it.

Both species were formerly included in Brassavola. As Brassavolas they appear in the ancestry of lots of Blc. (Brassolaeliocattleya) hybrids.

Rhyncholaelia glauca grows as an epiphyte or lithophyte in seasonally dry forests from Mexico to Colombia at 600 to 1600 m. (You can do a rough conversion from meters to feet by multiplying by 3.) This elevational range indicates that it likes warm (64º night min.) to intermediate (58º night minimum) temperatures. Our plants do just fine in a warm greenhouse.


How to grow it:

• Light Very bright with some sun.
• Temperature Intermediate to warm. 
• Watering After it flowers water less frequently until the new shoot appears.
• Potting Mix The classic trio of fir bark+charcoal+perlite. Also does well in the greenhouse mounted on a branch.

Who has it: Carter & Holmes

They're fuzzy. You can pet them.

A lot of horticulturists, especially those of us at botanical gardens and zoos, despair that visitors generally prefer cute furry animals to our own awesomely cuter plants. 'They asked to see the panda and walked right past my Canna Lily!' The rest of us simply cave. In fact, I have a hunch that most botanists and horticulturists are closet zoologists. You know the type. The plant geek who has at home a conifer arboretum, pitcher plant bogs, four rescue dogs, a cat, thirty seven tortoises and a litter of bottle-fed baby possums. And I understand completely.

But allow me to make a photographic argument for the awesomeness of plants that are furry. I'm talking about plants that are hairy, tomentose, pubescent, villose or hirsute. Like Dendrobium macrophyllum with its faux fur sepals, ovary and pedicel.

Dendrobium macrophyllum grows as an epiphyte from sea level to 1700 meters in New Guinea. It is widespread from Java, the Philippines, through New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa. It's reported to be one of the biggest orchid epiphytes in the forest canopy.

What are they for, these epidermal hairs (aka trichomes)? Hairs on leaves serve a variety of purposes --they slow water loss, reflect solar radiation (succulents), provide a layer of frost protection (Puya), are water absorbant (Tillandsia), provide chemical defense or entrapment (glandular hairs on lots of species). Could the hairs on the sepals of Dendrobium macrophyllum make the buds less enticing to a hungry herbivore? Maybe. But they definitely make the orchid appealing to us.

Our Kennel of Bulldog Paphs

"Bulldog" Paphiopedilum hybrids displayed on the Cube in the Orchid Atrium

Probably the most popular orchids on the hanging Cube in the Orchid Atrium are the Asian Slipper Orchids, the paphiopedilums, or "Paphs." These particular Paphiopedilum hybrids are colloquially known as "bulldog Paphs" on account of their broad-faced flowers and drooping petals. Among the most famous of the bulldogs is Paphiopedilum Winston Churchill. You can read more about this famous hybrid here.

The bulldog Paphs make outstanding display orchids. Their enormous shiny flowers are mesmerizing when viewed at eye level and they are extraordinarily long lasting (for Paphs, anyway)--eight weeks if you can keep the daytime temperatures at or below 72º.

Paphiopedilum species in nature are usually, but not always, terrestrial. They often grow as understory plants, or wedged into crevices in rocky limestone or granite outcrops. Adapted to an environment where there is a fairly dependable reservoir of moisture surrounding their roots, Paphs are not as drought tolerant as their epiphytic relatives, like Cattleya and Laelia, which often possess thickened leaves to resist moisture loss and pseudobulbs to store water.

Thus, in cultivation, Paphiopedilum orchids enjoy more subdued light, a more moisture retentive medium, and more frequent watering than Cattleya orchids.  They do well under lights or on an east facing windowsill. On a windowsill they will need a few hours of mild morning sun in order to flower. Most growers pot their Paphs in a mixture of fine grade bark, charcoal and perlite, often with some additional peat or milled sphagnum.

You won't want to miss these extraordinary orchids. And don't forget your camera!

The Garden is now open every night until 7 pm. The Orchid Daze display runs through April 15.

Dramatis personae: the orchids

The hanging Cube in the Orchid Atrium

Now that you've seen the Orchid Daze 2012 display as a whole you might like to meet some of the individuals in leading roles--the orchids, of course.

Rows of Dendrobium nobile occupy one side of the Cube

Dendrobium nobile hybrids are among the most rewarding orchid hybrids to grow and display. A well grown Dendrobium nobile hybrid will put any of the ubiquitous Dendrobium phalaenopsis hybrids completely into the shade. The flowers are larger, more colorful, more abundant. They make a gorgeous bouquet-like presentation. And they last a good 8 to 9 weeks in perfect condition before the flowers show any sign of decline. Once you have mastered these you may never want to grow another Den. phal hybrid.

Dendrobium Red Emperor 'Prince'

Dendrobium nobile hybrids are easy to grow. You just need to know one thing about them, and it's that one thing that sets them apart culturally from their Den. phal cousins. In a word, it's seasonality. In nature the growing conditions that they experience in summer are dramatically different from the conditions that they need in winter in order to set buds. In short: warm moist summers and cool dry very bright winters. These are the conditions you have to mimic in order to grow Dendrobium nobiles well.

In the summer we grow our Dendrobium nobile orchids in a 50% shade greenhouse at 80% humidity. We fertilize every two weeks with Cal Mag 15-5-15 from April through August and then stop the high nitrate fertilizer in order to harden off the new canes, which are staked for support. At Thanksgiving we move the nobiles (and the Dens in section Callista) into a nearly full sun greenhouse that drops to 53º at night, watering about every two weeks. This year, admittedly, a freaky warm year when all growth has been accelerated, they flowered in March.

The renowned growers and breeders of Dendrobium nobile hybrids at Yamamoto Dendrobiums have produced a terrific cheat sheet for growers. Don't forget to check out their gallery, which ought to get your pulse going!

Orchid Daze 2012, Hanging Gardens

Orchid Daze 2012, Hanging Gardens still looks magnificent in week 9.

In fact the entire Orchid Center & Conservatory are at their spring best, full of flowers (and flower photographers) and bursting with color.

The hanging tapestry of Pansy Orchids (Miltoniopsis) in the Conservatory Lobby is one of the most popular elements of the Orchid Daze display. Pansy Orchids produce a wonderful fragrance--far better than any synthetic perfume. They are one of my favorite orchids for big displays, with bold, long lasting flowers, good presentation, fragrance--and they look great with fine textured orchids like Oncidium Twinkle.

The  modernist Cube in the Orchid Atrium allows visitors to appreciate the orchids at eye level. It has become a favorite stopping place for photographers.

In the Orchid Display House three shimmering orchid rings hover above the Formal Bed.The metallic silver of the rings looks terrific with the cool colors of the Beallara and Phalaenopsis hybrids.

Orchid Daze 2012, Hanging Gardens runs through April 15. Be sure not to miss it!