The Devil's Excrement

The first three pictures are of a Cyrropetalum Elizabeth Ann. The four flowers are five to six inches long. I ahd a hard time taking the picture as different flowers would reflect differently. Still not happy with the result. The second picture on the top right, shows a detail of the upper part of the flowers. The third picture, bottom left, shows one flower up close. The pinkish area in the middle sort of flotas and swings up and down. A true beauty. Bottom right, a Venezuelan species Cattleya Lueademaniana Clint McCade x Raga, which I got from Armando Mantellini.

Spectacular specimen plant of species Lapiris Viridifolia at an orchid exhibit.

top left: Sophronitis Cernua from Brazil. These are small beautiful flowers. In consider this a triump, many years ago when I used to go to Brazil a lot I got some and they simply died. I decided recently to try again, read all about them and here they are, first flowering. The flower on the right is Cattleya Lueddemaniana from Venezuela. This flower is still opening, but I could not resist taking a picture of that velvety lip.

Top Left: A very dark Phal hybrid (lost the tag, probably Dpts. Spring Delight). The one on the right is an Oncidium hybrid called Oncidium Kukoo.

Two wonderful Cattleya Percivaliana, a Venezuelan species. I have zoomed in the lip so that you can see the wonderful oil painting like yellows of the lip. The flowers are actually stinky. The top one is Var. Graciela.

Pictures of a Dendrochilum Cobbianum(?) which I have posted before. The plant is getting huge, it is about one meter in diameter (three feet) and sends dozens of long shots each in turn with dozens of little flowers aout 1/4 of an inch in size.It amkes a beautiful plant with and without flowers. Below on the left a close up of the flower itself.

Top left close up of flower for Denrochilum picture above. Right: Beautiful Venezuelan Cattleya Jenmanii

Brazilian Catlleya Aclandie on the left above and a hybrid of Aclandie on the right: Cattleya Lulu Hot Pink, both VERY fragrant.

Brazilian Cattleya Intermedia, they love my orchid room, making big specimen plants, this is another one.

Above, a thriving Cattleya Intermedia from Brazil with about a dozen blooms and another dozen buds. It not only blooms and blooms and grows and grows, but look at how spectaculart the flower on the right is!

This is Cattleya Loddigesi Tony Boss from Brazil. Is this my favorite orchid? If it is not, it must be a very close call. I am always in awe as to how delicate and well shaped it is. The plant seems to be ready to die on me every year, but always comes back. Not easy to grow, but wonderful blooms, it is supposed to be the best Loddigesi there is, glad I have one!

I have been paying too much attention to politics and little to the orchid part of my blog, I apologize. But here are three real treats. Above left: Venezuelan Cattleya Percivaliana, a very stinky flower, but look at the darkness of that lip. On the right a Cattleya Lueddemaniana cross Clint McCade x Raga from Armando Mantellini, also a Venezuelan species, very fragant. Below, from Asia a Cyrropetalum Amabile, which I can’t find in my book so I can not tell you where its from. But notice how delicate it is.

Two Brazilian Species. Top Left: Cattleya Labiata Amethistina, extremely delicate and fragrant, Right: Laelia Pururata Striata.

A beautiful Oncidium, it had no lable, it looks like Oncidium Lanceanum, but the lip is white in that species, so this muts be a hybrid.

When I got back there were also quite a number of species in flower. Below top let there is a Cyrropetalum Makoyanum. On its right is a South American Oncidium, Oncidium Lanceanum. You have to love the purple in the column. In the bottom row you can see on the left a pair of Brazilian Cattelya Aclandie of very good size, the lip is not perfect, but they are huge. Also very fragrant. Bottom right is an Oncidijm which I think belongs to the family of Oncidium Altissimum, but have not been able to identify it.

I still remember the first time I saw a Laelia Purpurata, the Queen of the Brazilian Laelias. They are stunning and come in a variety of colors and tones. At one time in my life I used to visit Brazil a lot and purchased a few. When I got back from my vacation, these four were in flower. They may not be the best examples of that species and some are past their, but you can see how pretty they are.