I'm forever on the look out for terrestrial orchids of tropical origin that we can display in the Fuqua Orchid Center. The list of commercially available terrestrial genera just isn't that long or varied:
Paphiopedilum (Asian Slipper) is, of course, one of our core collections.
Phaius (Nun's Orchid)
and its cousin
Calanthe, wonderful though they are, become the kind of pest magnets that make me grind my teeth. The gorgeous
Warrea and
Gastrorchis can be elusive in commerce.
Ludisia (Jewel Orchid)
is for shady corners only. And
Spathiglottis (Ground Orchid) is as utilitarian an orchid as you could ever hope to find.
Habenaria, where have you been all my life?
 |
| Habenaria rhodocheila |
Meet
H. rhodocheila, radiant gem from tropical evergreen forests in South China, Thailand, peninsular Malaysia and the Philippines, growing @1100 meters.
 |
| Habenaria carnea |
H. carnea from 600 m. elevation on limestone in coastal southwestern Thailand. The epithet
carnea refers to the flesh-toned flowers.
 |
| Habenaria medusa |
And the otherworldly
H. medusa, who we met
earlier, grows @600 m. in Laos, Vietnam and the islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Sulawesi.
Habenaria is, of course, a huge genus of over 500 species occurring in temperate and tropical regions across the globe. The temperate zone species are not so amenable to cultivation. But the three tropical species above
are.
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