Stanhopea wardii Finally Opened!
IT HAPPENED! This is too cool not to share. My Stanhopea wardii after teasing me for weeks literally exploded into bloom this am while I was making my coffee! This is a first for me so I am sorry to go on but after this experience I am hooked on Stanhopea! I purchased this plant not too long ago and was pleased to see that very soon after arrival it produced a small blooming spike off the side that had matured in slow motion over the past month or so until this last 2 week period.
For about the last 10 days the spike seemed to have matured & I have been checking for signs that these flowers were going to open every morning and last week moved the basket indoors before a big storm just to be safe. Today at around 5 am I was up, put on my coffee and checked my plants, still 4 bulbous satellite-like blooms seemingly closed up tight. As the blooms were maturing there had been more intense color and as the size increased they moved away from the midline as if on strings, probably during the last week. For the past couple of agonizing days no real change then BAM! I literally snapped the one shot of the 4 closed blooms and not 5 minutes later went back to look over some other plants and 3 of the 4 blooms had opened! I grabbed my camera and sat virtually watching the 4th blossom open before my eyes. I am surprised there was not an explosion or ballistic report for each, sort of like the popping of ripe daffodils in spring.
I of course immediately woke the whole house before leaving with the plant in tow to show off at my office. Right now the fragrance is so strong it is literally intoxicating. You cannot sit right next to it because it is so very strong even though it is one of the nicest floral fragrances I have had the pleasure of sniffing.
I was told that this plant is very potent in that department, and the person that I talked to (Harry at AndyÂs Orchids) told me once opened they could not keep them inside in the living area. I tried to get some good close pictures of these amazing flowers. They are surprisingly huge to boot, 4 inches across the sepals and 3 inches tall.
I was told how neat these are, and that once you are into them it can become a dangerous addiction but I have to say that the whole process is pretty nifty. This is the only blooming size plant I have in a Stanhopea, but I have 2 other (tigrina & hernandezii) that were seedlings when purchased and they are coming along nicely, I just hope I can hang in there and not get another blooming sized plant.
Richard
Before...
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10 minutes later!
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The first 3 shots were taken at home on the kitchen breakfast cum Orchid nook, the last is at my office about an hour later.
PS My staff just told me I may have to move it outside, the entire clinic is perfumed with its aroma.
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richardol
littlem_2007
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rfraser529Original Author
littlem_2007
rfraser529Original Author