ORCHID

Perhaps no other orchid surpasses the Cattleya in popularity amongst orchid fanciers around the world. And it is the Cattleya which means "orchid" to the lay person, if they are asked to think about orchid types. It is the Cattleya which has been the mainspring of the orchid industry and it is the Cattleya which has done most to stimulate interest in orchid growing as a hobby.

Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids from Costa Rica and the Lesser Antilles south to Argentina. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after William Cattley who received and was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification. Swainson requested that a few plants be later sent to Cattley, who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow.

These orchids are widely known for their large, showy flowers, and were used extensively in hybridisation for the cut-flower trade until the 1980s when pot plants became more popular. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 5 cm to 15 cm or more. They occur in all colours except true blue and black. Many of these species and hybrids are very fragrant. 

The specimen below is a Cattleya mossiae hybrid and is fragrant. The typical flower has three rather narrow sepals and three usually broader petals: two petals are similar to each other, and the third is the quite different conspicuous lip, featuring various markings and specks and an often frilly margin. At the base, the margins are folded into a tube. Each flower stalk originates from a pseudobulb. The number of flowers varies; it can be just one or two, or sometimes up to ten.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #63 - ORCHID

Welcome to the meme, "My Sunday Best", which is a photographic and creative meme that allows you to showcase your talents in imaging. Every Sunday, you can post here showing an image you have created using your camera, (and/or) image processing software, and/or painting and drawing in the conventional way and have scanned in.

The rules are simple:
1) Create your image and post it up on your blog;
2) Put the "My Sunday Best" logo image link somewhere on your post so people can click and come by here;
3) Leave a comment here once you have posted;
4) Visit other posters' blogs and be amazed with their creativity!

Please do not use this meme to advertise your goods or services. This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately!

Dipodium roseum, commonly known as pink hyacinth orchid, in the family Orchidaceae is a leafless mycoheterotrophic orchid found in east and south-eastern Australia. The species was formally described in 1991. The type specimen was collected in Montrose in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges. The species was previously included in a wider circumscription of Dipodium punctatum.

For most of the year, plants are dormant and have no above-ground presence. Below the ground lie fleshy roots. Flower spikes ranging from 30 to 90 cm in height appear between December and April. These racemose inflorescences have 15 to 40 pink flowers with small darker spots. The sepals and petals are strongly recurved and the three-lobed labellum is pink with dark lines and a band of mauve hairs. A rare white-flowering form also exists.

Pollination of this species, as for all species in the genus, is by native bees and wasps. No leafless species of Dipodium has been sustained in cultivation due to the inability to replicate its association with mycorrhizal fungi in a horticultural context. I.e. it needs the wild underground fungi to nourish it as it has no leaves and cannot photosynthesise.

This post is part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

ONCIDIUM ORCHID

Oncidium, abbreviated as Onc. in the horticultural trade, is a genus that contains about 330 species of orchids from the subtribe Oncidiinae of the orchid family (Orchidaceae).It is distributed across much of South America, Central America, Mexico and the West Indies, with one species (O. ensatum) extending into Florida. Common names for plants in this genus include dancing-lady orchid and golden shower orchid.

The cultivar illustrated here is Oncidium Gower Ramsey "Lemon Heart". There is the pure yellow mass effect, justifying the common name "golden shower", but when one looks closer one can see greenish stripes on the petals and dorsal sepals.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

LADY'S FINGERS ORCHID

Caladenia catenata, commonly known as white caladenia, white fingers and lady's fingers, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and one or two white, sometimes pink flowers on a thin, sparsely-hairy stem. It is similar to Caladenia carnea but lacks the red and white bars on the labellum of that species.

There are one or two flowers borne on a slender, sparsely hairy spike 10–30 cm high. The sepals and petals are glistening white, rarely pink and are sparsely hairy on the lower part of their backs. The dorsal sepal is linear to oblong, erect or slightly curved forward and is 15–22 mm long. The lateral sepals and petals are about the same length as the dorsal sepal and spreading. The labellum is white or pinkish with a yellowy-orange tip. It is 8–10 mm long, 6–18 mm wide when flattened and has three lobes. The central lobe is triangle-shaped, longer than the lateral lobes, curves downward and has finger-like teeth on its edges. The lateral lobes are narrow and may have a few teeth near their tips. There are two rows of yellow or white, club-shaped calli on the centre of the mid-lobe but only as far forward as the front of the lateral lobes.

Flowering occurs from August to November, earlier in New South Wales than Victoria. This Caladenia is uncommon in Victoria where it grows in scattered populations in forest and woodland east of Melbourne. It is more common in New South Wales where it usually grows in sandy soil in coastal forest and shrubland. It is probably the most common Caladenia in the Sydney region.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MOKARA ORCHIDS

Mokara orchids are a hybrid between three different orchid varieties (genera: Ascocentrum, Vanda and Arachnis) in the family Orchidaceae. They were developed in the late 60's and are now one of the most popular orchid on the market. They are excellent cut flowers, which in ideal conditions will last a few weeks in the vase.

They have a few distinctive elements that differentiates them from:
1) Thicker stems is a good differentiator. They have a much thicker stem than those found on Dendrobium orchids;
2) The closed bud of a bloom is quite small and round, unlike the Dendrobium which is larger, more elongated and 'bell shaped' at the base.
3) The petals on each bloom are often broader and fleshier than that found on a Dendrobium orchid. Mokara's are great for earthy and bright coloured arrangements (a lot of red, orange yellow, strong purple and pink varieties).

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

GREEN ORCHIDS

Green hybrid Cymbidium orchid.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

CYMBIDIUM ORCHIDS

Cymbidium, or boat orchids, is a genus of 52 evergreen species in the orchid family Orchidaceae. One of its first descriptions come from Olof Swartz in 1799. The name is derived from the Greek word kumbos, meaning 'hole, cavity'. It refers to the form of the base of the lip. The genus is abbreviated Cym in horticultural trade. This genus is distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia (such as northern India, China, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Borneo) and northern Australia.

The larger flowered species from which the large flowered hybrids are derived, grow at high altitudes. Cymbidiums became popular in Europe during the Victorian era. One feature that makes the plant so popular is the fact that it can survive during cold temperatures (as low as 7˚C). We are lucky enough in Melbourne to grow them easily as garden plants and they are presently flowering profusely.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CATTLEYA ORCHID

Cattleya trianae (Lindl & Rchb. fil), also known as Flor de Mayo ("May flower") or "Christmas orchid", is a plant belonging to the Orchidaceae family. It grows as an epiphytic orchid, with succulent leaves, endemic to Colombia where it was nominated as the national flower in November 1936. That year, the National Academy of History of Argentina asked the Latin American countries to participate in an exhibition with the representative flowers of each country.

The Colombian government gave the botanist Emilio Robledo the task to designate the most representative flowering plant of the country. The choice of the type species of Cattleya trianae was made for two main reasons: The lip is yellow, bluish and red, in the same way as the Colombian flag. The species was named after the 19th century Colombian botanist Jerónimo Triana. The species grows at 1500–2000 meters above sea level, in Cloud forests. It is an endangered species due to habitat destruction.

Many hybrids and cultivars have now been developed and this Cattleya is one of the most spectacular and rewarding of the tropical epiphytic orchids.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

BLETILLA STRIATA

Bletilla is a temperate, terrestrial genus of orchids containing 9 species distributed through China, Japan and Taiwan and Vietnam. The name is actually a diminutive of Bletia because of the resemblance between the two genera even though Bletia is a New World genus.

The pseudobulbs resemble spreading corms which usually sit at ground level. Each pseudobulb generally bears several pleated leaves around 40cm long. The racemes of flowers emerge from the centre of the year's new growth before it is mature, during spring and early summer. The flowers vary in colour from white to purple, and all species have four pollinia. The tubers resemble a horn or claw. They are grayish-white or yellowish-white in appearance, with concentric rings and brown rootlets. They have a hard texture and do not break easily.

As the leaves emerge, the narrow flower spike arises through the centre and opens a few centimetres above the foliage with rich purple flowers. All Bletilla striata cultivars are amazingly drought tolerant, but grow faster in evenly moist soils. These are flowering at the moment in our garden.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

YELLOW & ORANGE CYMBIDIUMS

Cymbidium orchids are grown for their spectacular and colourful flowers. Due to the success of modern breeding programs they now come in a fantastic range of colours, from white and pink through to oranges, apricots, browns, reds, burgundy, yellows, creams and greens. Once in flower cymbidiums can be brought indoors and the flower display can be enjoyed for many weeks.  In an unheated room the flowers will last up to three months. In heated areas the flowers don't last as long, but it will help if you at least put the plants outside at night.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme.

MILTONIA ORCHID

Miltonia is an orchid genus formed by nine epiphyte species and eight natural hybrids inhabitants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one species reaching the northeast of Argentina and east of Paraguay. This genus was established by John Lindley in 1837, when he described its type species, Miltonia spectabilis.

Many species were attributed to Miltonia in the past, however, today, the species from Central America and from cooler areas on northwest of South America have been moved to other genera. Miltonia species have large and long lasting flowers, often in multifloral inflorescences. This fact, allied to being species that are easy to grow and to identify, make them a favorite of orchid collectors all over the world. Species of this genus are extensively used to produce artificial hybrids.

Despite the fact that Miltonia is now a well established genus, most of its species were originally classified under other genera as Cyrtochilum, Oncidium, Odontoglossum, and Brassia. All were discovered between 1834 and 1850 with the exception of M. kayasimae, discovered only in 1976.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme.

AN ORCHID

Here is a Cattleya Caudebec x Batemaniiana orchid showing an unusual stippling of petals and quite a beautiful colour.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

BEALLARA ORCHID

× Beallara, abbreviated Bllra. in the horticultural trade, is the nothogenus for intergeneric hybrids between the orchid genera Brassia, Cochlioda, Miltonia and Odontoglossum (Brs. x Cda. x Milt. x Odm.). This plant has a branched stem that grows to about 150 centimetres in height. The leaves are elongated and lanceolate, reaching about 60 centimetres of length. The flowers are numerous, about 14 to 16, and last long, between 20 to 30 days. It has fleshy large pseudobulbs. These orchids are commonly cultivated in greenhouses for ornamental purposes, resulting in a huge variety of cultivars of different colours.

The cultivar illustrated here is Beallara Purple Passion.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.