This week’s orchid is the Cattleya guttata, a smaller, speckled species of Cattleya. This orchid is found in Brazil, often near the coast:
Photo credit: orquideana.com.br
The blooms on this Cattleya range from two to four inches in size, whereas the blooms of other Cattleya species can be up to eight inches across (or more)!
Photo credit: delfinadearaujo.com
Cattleya guttata can be found in other colors, like this maroon-tinged version:
Photo credit: aaoe.fr
Beautiful, isn’t it?? Many Cattleya flowers are two-toned in color or are monochrome with a sort of watercolor-esque feel. So it’s fun to see a Cattleya variety with unexpected markings like this one’s speckles.
Learning about orchids can feel like learning a foreign language. When I first started surfing the internet for information about orchids and how to care for them, I felt a little dazed and confused; orchid lovers on forums were throwing around all sorts of terms that meant absolutely nothing to me. Over time these terms became a part of my vocabulary, and I want to share with you a glossary of the terms that I encounter most frequently when reading about orchids. So below is a list of terms that I wish I’d known when I got started with the hobby. Of course there are a million more terms out there to learn—the world of orchids is virtually endless—but this list should help you on your way to understanding these wonderful plants.
Last week I gave in to the lure of 20% off orchids at Orchids by Hausermann and ordered four more beauties to add to my collection. On Friday afternoon, my newest additions arrived!! They all look like they’re in good shape, and one of them even has a small spike growing! Click on the photos below to see larger versions.
From L to R: Encyclia cochleata, Phal hieroglyphica, Huntleya heteroclita, Phal violacea
The Encyclia cochleata is the largest of the four, and it’s still a pretty small plant, about 10″ tall at most. Here’s a closer look at it:
My Encyclia cochleata
The Huntleya heteroclita is so much smaller than I expected. Huntleyas are in the same family as Zygopetalums, and the two Zygos in my collection are literally about 10 times larger than this Huntleya! It may just be a seedling, I’m actually not sure. But it’s a cutie:
Teeny Huntleya heteroclita
The smallest of my new orchids, however, is the Phalaenopsis violacea, which arrived in a 2″ pot:
Adorable Phal violacea
Last but not least is the Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica, which has a small spike growing from its base! I will be SO THRILLED if this plant blooms soon!!
Phal hieroglyphica
You can see the little mitten-shaped spike in this close-up:
Phal hieroglyphica spike!
I haven’t repotted any of my new orchids yet (BAD!!) but I am going to do so this week to make sure all is ok with the plants’ roots.
In other news, this morning I finally bought a thermometer/humidity meter for my Orchid Room so that I can actually start to monitor these things; I’ve been meaning to do this for awhile! Already, I see that the humidity in the room is just over 50% so I think I’m going to get a small humidifier.
One of the craziest looking orchids I’ve seen in person is the Psychopsis krameriana, aka Kramer’s Butterfly Orchid:
Photo credit: Alex in situ, Flickr
I was just reminded of these orchids the other day while perusing the orchid selection from Silva Orchids at the Union Square Greenmarket. Silva had a couple Psychopsis plants for sale and of course I considered buying one. I managed to restrain myself – hooray!
I first encountered Psychopsis at the NYBG‘s 2009 Orchid Show. It was one of the more unique-looking orchids on display and I was completely taken with it. At first glance this orchid looks like a butterfly, but when you look closer you find something more sinister:
Skull face!
As a fan of all things sinister, I immediately fell in love with the Psychopsis. When I discovered the orchid’s name, I became even more enamored of it because I’m all about psychology. And of course I found another Psychopsis to photograph at this year’s Orchid Show:
2010 Orchid Show Psychopsis
The level of detail on these blooms is just incredible. Psychopsis orchids are part of the Oncidium family, which is known for its delicate yet detailed flowers.
I was looking at orchid porn photos yesterday evening because I was bored and still nursing a cold. To make myself feel better, I went to one of my favorite online stores: Orchids by Hausermann, and immediately discovered that they are running a summer sale on orchids—all orders are 20% off between July 18 and August 15!
So…you can see where this is headed. The orchid addiction is bad enough at full price—especially on Hausermann’s, which has some pretty good prices to begin with. But a 20% discount? I’m hopeless. Here are the four orchids that I ordered, with photos from Hausermann’s website:
1. Huntleya heteroclita – originally $7.99, $6.39 with discount. This one might have to make the next edition of Unfortunate Orchid Names. I’d never heard of Huntleya before, and after doing some research I discovered it’s in the same subtribe as Zygopetalum, which is one of my favorite types of orchids. No wonder I was immediately attracted to this one.
2. Encyclia cochleata – originally $10, $8 with discount. This orchid was my very first Orchid of the Week selection. I REALLY hope I can get this one to bloom. The flowers are so incredibly unique and adorable!
3. Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica ‘Egyptian Lore’ x self – originally $10, $8 with discount
4. Phalaenopsis violacea (Malaysia x var. Borneo) – originally $15, $12 with discount. I chose this variety as Orchid of the Weekrecently.
Guess what? I felt better after placing my orchid order. 😛 Now I wait on pins and needles for my shipment to arrive. If you’ve got an orchid itch that needs to be scratched, make sure you take advantage of Hausermann’s summer sale ASAP*!
*I just want to note that I write about Hausermann’s simply because I like the site. I don’t have any sort of deal with them whatsoever. Even with the FTC blog regulations it can be hard to tell who is in bed with whom, so I wanted to make that clear. 🙂
The orchid I’ve chosen to feature this week is a type that literally takes my breath away when I see it in person: Vanda Robert’s Delight. This orchid comes in a variety of colors, but the purple ones are my favorites:
Photo credit: madfish1c, Flickr
I saw these Vandas on display at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx:
NY Botanical Garden
One of the things I love most about Vandas are the little skeleton-looking faces in the center of the blooms. Here’s a closer look:
Mini Skeleton Face
I don’t really have much to say about these flowers at the moment because I have a cold so my brain is sort of mush. But I think these orchids are gorgeous so I had to post something about them. I could seriously look at pictures of Vandas online all day long. Vanda porn!
