Popping out to see the upside down orchid


This is what we awoke to yesterday, the 23rd of January. A 15 cm wide, fleshy, orchid flower emerging from a basket brimming with pseudobulbs (the swollen bits at the base of the aspidistra-like leaves). It's a Stanhopea, induced into flower by either Lynda fertilising it last week or a liking for the recent warm and (particularly if we keep the water up) humid weather.

Species of this genus are sometimes called Upside Down Orchids, referring to the propensity for the flowering stem to head downwards, or slightly misleadingly Bucket Orchids, a name more often applied to the related genus Coryanthes which does have a 'bucket' as part of its floral apparatus.


We first noticed buds on Saturday afternoon (21 January), exactly one year after friends Maggie and Max Richards gave us half of their Stanhopea basket plant. We were to look after it, and try and get it to flower. Job done!

That said, it hasn't looked great for most of the time, with leaves a bit tattered and browned. We moved house in April, meaning its microhabitat changed from subtropical Hawthorn to subtropical Glen Iris, so that may not have helped. Typically it prefers the subtropics of more northern parts of Australia I suspect. Still, in its final resting place under this nectarine tree it seems happy enough. At least happy enough to flower.


The flower buds had presumably been there a day or two, or even more. After Lynda spotted the first two we noticed a younger second pair at the back of the basket. The two at the front though (below, photographed 21 January) looked like juicy, slightly deformed, capsicums, and ready to open any day...


It all happens quickly with Stanhopea so we kept vigil over the next few days. I had heard that their flowers audibly 'pop' open and it seems that mostly the popping occurs early in the morning: 5.30 am according to most reports or, if you are lucky, as late at 8.30 am.

I didn't hear a pop but at 6.00 am on 23 January this is what our flowers looked like - one open, one still shy. The open flowers are like porcelain, or plastic, depending on how much romance you want to evoke. The chunky insides must be like a theme-park ride for any willing pollinator.


In nature the flowers are pollinated in nature by a male (euglossine, or orchid) bee which visits the flower to collect aromatic substances from the waxy lips of the flower. On the way in, or out, it collects some of the orchid pollen to then carry to another flower.

And aromatic the flowers are. On the morning this flower opened there was a strong waft of a vanilla-like fragrance curling around my nose as I photographed what a male bee sees (in different colours) and experiences. In this bee-view picture, the pollen sits in a small notch behind that small pointy bit that seems to make the entrance to the ride unsafe.


It's fitting to seek information on this species from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Stanhopea was named by Sir William Hooker, an early Director of Kew, for a genus of orchids found mostly in tropical Central and South America.

There are now over 60 species known and I think ours is Stanhopea tigrina* (Tiger-spotted Stanhopea), from Mexico, perhaps the mostly commonly grown species of Stanhopea in Australia.

Stanhopea nigroviolacea is another name you'll see around for a plant with similar looking flowers. That species was in fact named originally as a variety of Stanhopea tigrina, and in the most recent version of Plant List you'll find Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea. 'Nigroviolacea' seems to have more of the maroon colour on the floral parts than mine but I'm happy to be corrected on this (now infraspecific) identification!

Stanhopea tigrina was named and described in 1837 by James Bateman, the author of a rather large (10 volume) publication on the orchids of Mexico and Guatemala. By the time this hand-coloured lithograph by W.H. Fitch appeared in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, in 1845, the species was 'not uncommon' in the collections of UK plant enthusiasts.


You can find Stanhopea in cultivation around Australia, in the collections of orchid buffs mostly, but not too many in Melbourne; we grow it inside our Tropical Glasshouse in the Melbourne Gardens of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Our home display is modest when you see some of the pictures on the web of the underside of baskets lined with flowers, but even one of these flowers is marvel enough.

When I got home last night the second flower in the pair was open. Apparently, Lynda says, it was open at 8.30 am, when she ventured into the Gardens. So maybe one at 5.30 or thereabouts, and the other closer to 8.30, just like the interweb said.

Thank you to the Richards family for a gift that took a year to deliver, but deliver it did.
*Sydney-based expert on exotic and local orchids (among other things), David Banks (via Facebook, 27 February 2017, when I reported another set of two flowers opening), says my plant is definitely Stanhopea nigroviolacea, and not Stanhopea tigrina. He posted a picture of a different looking flower, identified as Stanhopea tigrina, by Barney Greer "who wrote a book on this genus".

Comments

Anonymous said…
G'day Tim
Are they in flower at the RBG this year?
Cheers Rob Dabal
Talking Plants said…
Hi Rob, Haven't looked yet but must do that this week. Last year they were at their peak, in the glasshouse, in mid-February. Tim
Talking Plants said…
Just checked, and the hanging basket near the front door of the glasshouse, which I think is Stanhopea, has no flower (or buds). The back half of the glasshouse is closed but I'm pretty sure this is the basket that flowered last year. Tim
Anonymous said…
Would that mean they are unlikely to flower this season, or is it possible that they may still develop buds? We may just have to visit a few times to have a look. Cheers Rob
Talking Plants said…
I suspect it won't flower this year Rob. But then always worth a visit... Tim
Bobby La said…
Thanks for this Tim. You inspired me to check out our stanhopea which has not flowered for four or five years and so became a bit of a hidden neglectarino. Seven fat buds! Ours is more caramel in colour, absolutely stunning and extraordinarily whiffy.
Regards Ross
Talking Plants said…
Very nice Ross! Glad to know it thrives on a little neglect. And yes, the perfume is hard to miss... Tim
Unknown said…
Where can I buy these lovely plants!
Talking Plants said…
Some specialist nurseries will stock but also look up your closest Orchid Society and see if they have a plant sale coming up. Not common in the trade but they are around... Good luck! Tim
Anonymous said…
Hi Tim, ours flowered last week [ 1/2/19] after two years from division. I remember the flowers lasting more than a few days though, as the latest one did. How long should they last? Neil
Unknown said…
In SE Queensland we can almost set the calendar to flowering time! It does seem to be getting later each year, but always around Valentines day. Just about to divide... wish us luck!
Talking Plants said…
Sadly no flowers for me this season... :)
Unknown said…
My Stanhopea are about to bloom, terribly overcrowded and need to be separated. Would you be able give me advice or refer me on how to separate them, the recommended season to do it and so on please. Finally I have a species name and access to someone who knows, about this deliriously beautiful, perfumed orchid. Yes I saw some in Kew Gardens, not as large as mine.
Diane O’Dwyer
Talking Plants said…
Definitely leave crowded as long as you can but eventually just cut in half and repot. I'm no expert though so get advice on potting mix etc... Try local orchid society. Amazing plant!
Unknown said…
my rescued plant from demolition site 10 years ago has never flowered.. I gave it to a friend 2 weeks and is now breaking forth into bloom. thanks for name.yvonne pocock clayton vic.















Talking Plants said…
That's great Yvonne. The right time of year... I must check my one, which is now a little buried under some overgrown shrubbery. It does seem to be a plant that flowers on a whim - although I expect it knows exactly what it is doing, waiting for the right mix of temperature, rainfall and photoperiod. Enjoy the blooming and I hope it continues in come years!
Unknown said…
I have Catalalaya orchids. Will they grow in the lined hanging baskets, and will the roots grow through the liner. Answer here or email me at rogenaawalters52@gmail.com Thankyou Gena
Talking Plants said…
Hi Gena, Apart from Stanhopea, the orchids we grow at home are all terrestrial, so I'm not much of an expert on Cattleya. However the roots will extend over the top, or through any porous outer layer, and are happy to do so.Tim
Anonymous said…
Such a great orchid to grow so long as you can tolerate the strong frangrance. Summer scents always welcome.