The Devil's Excrement

Grammatphyllum is a species which can be found in Southesat Asia, Java, Borneo, New Guiena and the Philippines. The plants are big and the flowerig is nothing short of spectacular. They seem to like my home, They all grow furiously and flower regularly and sometimes in truly spectacular fashion. One of the twelve known species Gramm. Speciosum represents the largest known orchid plant. I have one, it is the largest plant I have, so much that I had to move it out into the sun because it occupied too much space. It has never flowered, but I have hopes one of these days it will surprise me. I have about eight Grammatophyllums, four of which have flowered, right now I have three in flower and one with spikes. Thus the title of my article. Here are the ones with flowers.

This plant just flowered for the first time, I think it is called Gramm. Tiger’s Paw, but I am not sure, I made the mistake of leaving the label in the pot where it is buried in the roots. The spike (branch?) is 1.8 meters (six feet) long with about 80 flowers.

This one I believe is Gram. Marthae or something like that. The spikes are shorter about 1.50 meters (5 feet), the flowers are smaller, maroon with very little green as shown on the right. Each spike has about 70 flowers, there are six spikes.

On the left is the third Grammatpophyllum, one I have shown before. The plant was too heavy to move it to take a better picture. The flowers are similar to the previous on, but they are not fully covered with maroon. The spike is long, 7 feet or bout 2.25 meters long, there are two of them. On the right is a rare Onciium species, Oncidium Lindeyii, long spikes with thiry flowers about two thirds of an inch big.

Some people ask if I have or like Phals, the answer is affirmative to both. They are not on top of my list of favorites, but I wished I could have all of the Phal. species that exist. Here are two very beautiful ones.

Grammatphyllum is a species which can be found in Southesat Asia, Java, Borneo, New Guiena and the Philippines. The plants are big and the flowerig is nothing short of spectacular. They seem to like my home, They all grow furiously and flower regularly and sometimes in truly spectacular fashion. One of the twelve known species Gramm. Speciosum represents the largest known orchid plant. I have one, it is the largest plant I have, so much that I had to move it out into the sun because it occupied too much space. It has never flowered, but I have hopes one of these days it will surprise me. I have about eight Grammatophyllums, four of which have flowered, right now I have three in flower and one with spikes. Thus the title of my article. Here are the ones with flowers.

This plant just flowered for the first time, I think it is called Gramm. Tiger’s Paw, but I am not sure, I made the mistake of leaving the label in the pot where it is buried in the roots. The spike (branch?) is 1.8 meters (six feet) long with about 80 flowers.

This one I believe is Gram. Marthae or something like that. The spikes are shorter about 1.50 meters (5 feet), the flowers are smaller, maroon with very little green as shown on the right. Each spike has about 70 flowers, there are six spikes.

On the left is the third Grammatpophyllum, one I have shown before. The plant was too heavy to move it to take a better picture. The flowers are similar to the previous on, but they are not fully covered with maroon. The spike is long, 7 feet or bout 2.25 meters long, there are two of them. On the right is a rare Onciium species, Oncidium Lindeyii, long spikes with thiry flowers about two thirds of an inch big.

Some people ask if I have or like Phals, the answer is affirmative to both. They are not on top of my list of favorites, but I wished I could have all of the Phal. species that exist. Here are two very beautiful ones.

Went to the Aragua Society show. This is in the city of Maracay about an hour away from Caracas. It is a small show, but because of the month you see a lot of flowers that you would not see otherwise. Unfortunately, the lighting was not very good to take pictures, fluorescent lights and translucent blue curtains!. The only reasonable pictures I took wre of this spectacular Cattleya Guttata on the left from Brazil and this unidentified Eria on the right.

It’s that time of the year again when the Queen of the Laelias, Laelia Purpurata starts flowering. This magnificent example says it all!! Spectacular!

Top: Cattleya Gaskelliana, Right: Cattleya Mem. John Shultz

Bottom: Cattleya Gaskelliana Mimi x Aida. I have said this plant and “blue Dragon: grow like weeds, this plants has right now 18 flowers or buds…weeds….but beautiful ones!!!

Top: Cattleya Gaskelliana, Right: Cattleya Mem. John Shultz

Bottom: Cattleya Gaskelliana Mimi x Aida. I have said this plant and “blue Dragon: grow like weeds, this plants has right now 18 flowers or buds…weeds….but beautiful ones!!!

Slc. Lulu “Hot Pink”

Left: Masdevalia Teunifolia, also known as the Coconut orchid, because its fragrance is just like coconut. On the right is Cattleya Gaskelliana Color

I always thought this planst was a Tricoglottis, but I can’t find it in my books. On the left you can see how it gros from the center of rhe hanging leaf, onthe right a flower byitslef. This plant is finnicky, I have had it for over ten years, this is only the second flowering ever and the best, lost of bunches like those above, flowers are less than half an inch in size. If anyone knows what it is, please let me know.

Lots of flowering right now. The top row shows a fairly dark variety of Cattleya Skinneri from central Amrica. The plant on the left is huge, I bought it as a 2 inch seedling. Most years it has flowered a lot but not at once like this year. It still has two bucnhes of buttons that have not opened. On the right you can see the flowers up close, they are really delicate and nice with a little fragrance.

The bottom row shows on the left Encyclia Cordigera. This is not the Venezuelan variety, this is the darker Central American form. Very, very fragant. On the right there is a shot of tiny flowers of Aerangis Citrata. These are small slightly above a quarter of an inch with a long spur coming out of the flower. These are African, found in many countries, including Madagascar.

Lots of flowering right now. The top row shows a fairly dark variety of Cattleya Skinneri from central Amrica. The plant on the left is huge, I bought it as a 2 inch seedling. Most years it has flowered a lot but not at once like this year. It still has two bucnhes of buttons that have not opened. On the right you can see the flowers up close, they are really delicate and nice with a little fragrance.

The bottom row shows on the left Encyclia Cordigera. This is not the Venezuelan variety, this is the darker Central American form. Very, very fragant. On the right there is a shot of tiny flowers of Aerangis Citrata. These are small slightly above a quarter of an inch with a long spur coming out of the flower. These are African, found in many countries, including Madagascar.

With everything that is going on in my country, I have paid little attention to placing new pictures of my orchids, but they keep blooming very well as evidenced by these Cattleya Jenmanii (top), notice the slight flaring on the petals. In the bottom row you can see a beautiful Cattleya Lueddemaniana, first time this almost seedling flowered, incredibly nice. On the bottom right a hybrid I purchased in San Diego many years ago, I lost the label, but you can see the Sophronitis past in its hybridization.