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| Miltonia spectabilis var. moreliana |
'Spectabilis' means outstanding. What is outstanding about this Miltonia? The undulating margin of the lavender lip reminds me of Ginger Rogers long flowing evening gown. The lip is beautifully set off against the dusky plum backdrop of the orchid's petals and sepals. Very satiny. Very sophisticated.
Admittedly, the plant has an idiosyncratic growth habit. The internodes (i.e., the length of stem between the pseudobulbs) are very long, giving the plant a sprawling habit best accommodated by a wide shallow basket. And the leaves and stems are an almost alarmingly vivid shade of yellow-green, a color normally associated with poor culture. Not to worry. This is the normal leaf color for Miltonia spectabilis.
But it is in mid-late summer, when many other orchids take a hiatus from flowering, that my admiration for this Brazilian species deepens into a warm affection. Last week I set a pod on one of our plants in the Fuqua Orchid Center. A dozen more, please!
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