Stanhopea nigripes

Stanhopea nigripes young inflorescence

This Stanhopea is native to Peru and grows from elevations of 2,625-6,235 feet (800-1900 m).  It grows in mountain forests that have high humidity and environments that are often moist to wet.  This is one of the Stanhopeas in my collection that dislikes dry growing media and prefers to be moist at all times. This species especially responds well to extra water in the summer and during dry windy days.  It prefers shade and it grows on the north east side of my house where it receives no direct sun, even in the summer months.  This orchid is listed as an intermediate to cool grower, so I have it growing near the protection of the house and covered eaves.

The fragrance of this orchid is a rather heady mixture of eucalyptus and camphor mixed with vanilla.  This is an intense fragrance for this orchid and it can be detected a few feet away from the flowers.  It is a very pleasing fragrance especially around the end of the year holidays.

Stanhopea nigripes flower

The inflorescences are short 4.0-6.0 in. (10-15 cm) long, therefore  this species does best growing in smaller and shallower baskets.  The flowers are 3.9-4.3 in. (10-11 cm) wide and are beige to a light cream in color with the upper hypochile and base of the petals enfused with yellow.  This form was a bit difficult to identify because it superficially resembled S. florida in color and the flowers are slightly larger than typical, but the bend in the hypochile is greater than 90 degrees, therefore more similar to  S. nigripes.  I had originally purchased this species as S. haselowiana, but the epichile does not have the shallow bend of that species.  To ensure proper identification I sent these photos to Rudolf Jenny, and he has determined that this is S. nigripes.  Thank you Mr. Jenny!

Stanhopea nigripes hypochile

The species is a short to medium sized Stanhopea with pseudobulbs 1.2-1.6 in. (3.0-4.0 cm) wide and leaves 7.9-12.6 in. (20-32 cm) long.

Stanhopea saccata

Stanhopea saccata with two flowers on a young plant



This Stanhopea is native from Mexico to Costa Rica and grows at elevations from 1,640 to 4,920 feet (500 to 1500 m).  At the upper range in elevation, these orchids can be associated with oak forest habitats.  This is an intermediate to cool grower and does well growing outdoors in coastal southern California.  This species enjoys some early morning direct sun and flowers for me in the fall.  This orchid’s flowers are described as having a cinnamon fragrance, though I have found this form to have a scent that is a combination of camphor with a bit of cinnamon.  The fragrance is light but noticeable when you are close by the flowers.  The inflorescences of this species generally grow at the surface of the growing medium, so they tend to run into the side of the basket.  Care should be taken to direct the inflorescences over the rim, so that they can mature unimpeded.

Stanhopea saccata showing the three lobed lip

The flowers of this species are up to 5.1 in. (13 cm) wide.  The sepals are permeated with a green color on the reverse side, so when the flowers are viewed from the front, they appear to glow and have a light yellow/green color.  The petals and sepals have a deep golden yellow color infused in the lower portions near the hypochile, and are covered with profuse small reddish brown spots.  The hypochile has an enlarged sack-like form that is similar to other closely related Stanhopea (S. tigrina). The horns are larger and wider than other related species (S. pseudoradiosa, and S. radiosa).  The epichile is deeply folded in the center and it has three distinct lobes similar to other species in the Saccata group.  The center lobe is smaller than the two outer lobes.

Stanhopea saccata close-up showing the golden colored,
 sack-like hypochile and wide horns

The leaves of this species are 17-19 in. (43.2-48.3 cm) long, 2.5-2.8 in. (6.4-7.1 cm) wide, and are lanceolate in shape.  The pseudobulbs of this form are 2.0 in. (5.0 cm) tall and 1.5 in. (3.8 cm) wide, and are laterally compressed.

What is Stanhopea?





I was asked to make a brief outline of Stanhopea so that those individuals who visit this site are provided general information for this orchid group.  Stanhopea is a genus within the Orchidaceae (The Orchid Family).  These orchids are epiphytic (grow on trees), and occasionally semi-terrestrial (found growing in leaf mold and duff) on slopes.  They grow in moderate to high rainfall areas in tropical and subtropical climates, and are native to Mexico, Central America, and South America (see the table below for the number of species per country).  These orchids grow in forests receiving part to deep shade, and in habitats from near sea level up to 9,840 ft. (0 to 3,000 m). Several species grow in mountain foothill forests and many species can survive short dry seasons.  There are approximately 65 species currently recognized with 5 natural hybrids and dozens of man made hybrids registered.

Country	Number of Species	Country	Number of Species	Country	Number of Species	Country	Number of Species
Argentina	1	Costa Rica	11	Guyana	1	Paraguay	1
Belize	3	Ecuador	12	Honduras	6	Peru	13
Bolivia	5	El Salvador	4	Mexico	13	Suriname	1
Brazil	6	French Guiana	1	Nicaragua	9	Trinidad	1
Colombia	19	Guatemala	8	Panama	13	Venezuela	5

   Table of Stanhopea species listed by country. This list includes the five known natural hybrids. 

This orchid genus is known for prominent pseudobulbs that are oval to rounded in shape, from 1.0-2.0 in. (2.5-5.0 cm) wide, topped with a single lanceolate to elliptic shaped leaf.  The plants are usually small to moderate sized orchids from 8.0-26.0 in. (20 cm to 65 cm) tall.  The unusual nature of blooming and presentation of the inflorescences by growing through the bottom of growing media is a unique characteristic of these orchids.  The pendent inflorescences require that the orchid be grown in wire baskets to allow the inflorescence to mature.  The flowers are fantastic in their shape and complexity, and have  an intricate pollination biology.  For additional information on the flowers of Stanhopea see the The Stanhopea Morphology Page.

Micaela's Stanhopea graveolens
growing in a greenhouse

The genus was named by John Frost after the Fourth Earl of Stanhope - Sir Philipp Henry (president of the Medico- Botanical Society of London at the time) and described by William Jackson Hooker in 1829.  Stanhopea insignis is the species that was first described within the genus Stanhopea; however, Stanhopea hernandezii  was described first under a name derived from the Aztec language(Coatzonte Coxochitl) in Francisco Herdandez’s work Rerum Medicarum Novae Hispaniae Thesarus finalized in 1575.  It is interesting to note that in the Aztec language (Nahuatl) the word coatzontecoxóchitl can translate as "snake-head flower" (Ossenback, 2009).  This word or similar words were used by the Aztecs to describe several orchids including S. hernandezii and S. tigrina.  These and other orchids were revered by the Aztecs for their beauty and fragrance (Bateman, 1837-43) and several were used in decoration (Hagsater et al., 2005).  It is clear from these accounts that the Aztecs were also captivated by Stanhopeas!  For a more detailed account of the history of Stanhopea see (Jenny, 2010).

References:

Bateman, J. 1837-43.  The Orchidaceae from Mexico and Guatemala. J. Hidgway and Sons, London.

Hágsater, E. Soto Arenas, M.A., Salazar, G., Jiménez, R., López, M. and Dressler, R. 2005. Las Orquideas de México, Productos Farmaceuticos, S.A. de C.V., México.

Jenny, R. 2010.  The Stanhopea Book.  Imprenta Mariscal, Quito, Ecuador.

Ossenback, C. 2009. Orchids and orchidology in Central America: 500 years of history. Lankesteriana V. 9, 1-2.

Stanhopea costaricensis

Stanhopea costaricensis inflorescence

Stanhopea costaricensis is native to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama from elevations 1,640 to 3,280 feet (500 to 1000 m).  It is native to tropical and warm forests, and grows best in intermediate to warm conditions. This species does not tolerate low humidity and high light situations and the leaves can burn easily in direct sun.  The inflorescence is up to 8 inches (20.3 cm) long and often 3-5 flowered, making this a good choice for large basket culture.  The flowers are 5.5 inches (14 cm) wide and resemble those of S. oculata.  However, the hypochile has a restricted center portion that makes it form two broad segments that are almost unique in Stanhopea (S. gibbosa has a similar shaped hypochile).

Stanhopea costaricensis flowers

This is a seedling that I purchased from Tropical Orchid Farm of Hawaii and it has a light yellow to cream color in the sepals and petals with several torus shaped (like the letter O) spots that are reddish brown.  The petals have two solid distinct eyes in the same color.  The hypochile is light pink to flesh colored and has dark red eyes and is stippled with red to dark pink small spots.  The mesochile is cream colored and the horns are the same color with the interior portion exhibiting several pink spots.  The epichile is also cream colored with dark pink spots.  This form is an example of variation seen in the species with some forms having less pink and more yellow in the hypochile.  Seedlings can pay off sometimes providing some of the most favorable color variations and spot characters.

Stanhopea costaricensis flower close-up

 

The fragrance of this orchid is camphor scented when it first opens and later it is a combination of camphor and cinnamon.  This species has become one of my new best favorites and a nice fall bloomer that extends the blooming season for my Stanhopea collection!

Stanhopea candida

Stanhopea candida

Stanhopea candida inflorescence

This orchid is native to warm forests and foothills of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.   It is found at elevations from 330 to 1,970 feet (100 to 600 m).  This is one of the several Stanhopeas that need warm temperatures all year around, so I bring the plant inside the house from November through March.  I grow it outside in the spring and summer months on the north side of the house where it receives indirect light and mostly shade.  This orchid enjoys a warm and humid atmosphere with a relatively moist growing medium.  It also grows well in ventilated ares with a good breeze.  The fragrance of S. candida is primarily the scent of wintergreen.  Wintergreen is one of the major components in the pain reliever Bengay, so that is exactly what this flower smells like, though it is rather light in scent.  This is a fall blooming species of Stanhopea, though some have reported that it also blooms in the spring.

 

Stanhopea candida hypochile with
small pink spots

This Stanhopea is closely related to S. grandiflora and S. reichenbachiana.  The flowers are small (2.75 to 3.15 inches – 7.0 to 8.0 cm) wide, primarily white, and have no real horns.  There are two short curved projections on either side of the upper hypochile.  The remaining hypochile is joined into a short tube that opens to both the upper hypochile and epichile.  On the front side of the hypochile are small pink spots, the only other color on this flower.  The epichile is a short lanceolate shaped projection.  The column is an off white color that is infused with green and is almost florescent. The leaves of S. candida are usually 9.8 to 19.6 inches (25 to 50 cm) long; however, my form has shorter leaves 9 to 12 inches (22.8 to 30.5 cm) long and 2.5 to 4.2 inches (6.4 to 10.7 cm) wide.  These orchids are  rather short  with small pseudobulbs 0.75 to 1.2 inches (1.9 to 3.0 cm) wide at maturity.  The plant may be smaller in size because it is still a little young.  I also grow it outdoors in the summer where it is less humid and warm in comparison to the tropical conditions the orchid finds acceptable.



Stanhopea candida hypochile and column

In side profile the hypochile has a rather rectangular configuration.  The buds of this species emerge through the inflorescence bracts rather early in development, and spend a large amount of time developing outside the bracts.  This is in contrast to many other Stanhopea that allow the buds to develop for a long time inside the inflorescence bracts before they emerge.





Southland Orchid Show 2012

Stanhopea jenischiana with four
flowers on the inflorescence

A well grown Stanhopea jenischiana  was exhibited by Joe Kles of the Riverside/San Bernardino Counties Orchid Society during the Southland Orchid Show at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, in San Marino, California. The orchid had perfect timing and was in bud for the setup of the show. The morning of show judging the flowers opened and the plant was awarded a blue ribbon. Congradulations Joe!

 

 

Stanhopea jenischiana exhibiting
 the narrow upper hypochile

 

This Stanhopea is rather easy to distinguish from some of the other species due to the narrow upper hypochile.  It is very thin where it joins the petals and sepals.  I could not detect much of a fragrance off this flower, perhaps because it was surrounded by several other fragrant orchids!  The flowers stayed open all three days of the show, so the public was able to enjoy them as well.

 

Coryhopea Red Martian

 

Coryhopea Red Martian inflorescence with three flowers

 

This orchid is an intergeneric cross between Stanhopea martiana and Coryanthes macrantha var. aureum.  There is a lot of hybrid vigor to the plant and it grows large rather quickly.  The flowers don’t open fully and are best viewed from below. They are quite spectacular to look at and have been described as alien looking.  The fragrance of the flowers is rather similar to cherry cough syrup or cherry cola.  This is a very agreeable fragrance indeed. There are two leaves per pseudobulb. The leaves are lanceolate in shape 18 to 19 inches (45.7 to 48.3 cm) long, and 3.0 to 4.25 inches (7.6 to 10.8 cm) wide.

 



Coryhopea Red Martian flower
photographed from below

The flowers are 3.5 to 4.5 inches (8.9- 11.4 cm) wide and a deep red color with many mahogany to red spots on the sepals, petals, and hypochile.  The sepals and petals are cream to white at the tips with red spots.  The upper hypochile is orange-red to deep red in color and the mesochile and horns are yellow with mahogany spots/streaks.  The epichile is bright yellow on the lower portion with deep red spots/streaks, turning solid red on the upper portion..



Coryhopea Red Martian with
human heart shaped buds

Unopened buds are a joy to watch grow and develop.  Once they mature they almost appear to be oddly shaped human hearts.  This makes the opening of the flowers full of anticipation and almost unnerving! I grow this orchid warm and bring it indoors during the winter given that one of the parents of the cross is a warm growing Coryanthes.  It spends the rest of the year growing outdoors on the north side of my house.

 

 

Stanhopea panamensis

 

Stanhopea panamensis with five flowers on this inflorescence

 

This is a tropical growing species that thrives in warm and humid environments in tropical forests of Panama at 2,950 feet (900 m) in elevation.  This species grows in shade and dappled shade and appreciates being grown outdoors during the summer.  Unfortunately, this is one of the Stanhopeas that I have to take indoors during the winter months.  Some sources say it dislikes temperatures below 60F (14C) at night, others say temperatures near 50F (10C) are fine. Barney Greer's book mentions that a grower did well with this in Sydney, Australia growing outdoors, so there is hope that I could try this one outside when it matures a little more.

Stanhopea panamensis close up of flower

The flowers are large to 5-5.5 inches (12.7 - 14.0 cm) wide and are primarily white with dark purple spots on the petals and sepals. The hypochile is a bright yellow with the remainder of the prominent mesochile and epichile being white. There are small dark purple spots on the upper portion of the epichile and interior portion of the horns of this Stanhopea. This species was once combined into S. oculata, which it resembles. However, S. panamensis doesn’t have eye spots, has a more verticle hypochile, and a different fragrance. The flowers have a faint lily scent at first, almost like an Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum) or Moon Flower (Ipomoea alba). Later as the flower matures it has a mixture of lily and clove fragrance, but faint. 



Stanhopea panamensis inflorescence 
in bud

The buds of this species have very prominent, dense, dark brown to black scales on the sepals, ovary, and inflorescence bracts. This species is a large plant with large leaves 13-24 inches (33-61 cm) long, and leaf blades 4.25-6.0 inches (10.8-15.2 cm) wide. I have this plant growing on the north side of the house under the eaves in spring/summer. I provide it with 50% shade cloth, and about 2 hours of full morning sun per day in the summer.

  

 

Stanhopea wardii

 

Stanhopea wardii var. citrina inflorescence with five flowers

This species is native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela.  It grows in warm to cool cloud forests from 2600 – 5300 feet (800-1600 meters) in elevation.  It is one of the easier species of Stanhopea to grow outside here in southern California, and can take early morning sun and dappled shade the rest of the day.  This form is S. wardii var. citrina and has green/yellow flowers when they first open, almost chartreus in color.  The flowers later fade to a more burnt yellow or golden yellow color.  The standard form is a more subdued yellow color.  Both forms have a black eye spot on the upper hypochile that is a deep golden yellow color.  The fragrance of this Stanhopea is rather intense lemon/citrus at first.  After the flowers have been open for a few hours the fragrance lessens to a tart lime fragrance similar to crushed lime leaves.  It is a very pleasant and clean fragrance.  This seems to be consistent with the fragrance study done that includes limonene in some clones at 1.7%.; however, I have not detected the 1.8 cineole of 1-33% that would give it a Eucalyptus or camphor-like fragrance in this form.

 

Stanhopea wardii var. citrina close up

The flower is 2.8 to 3.1 inches (7.0 to 8 cm) wide but there are usually several flowers (7-10) on a given inflorescence.   The inflorescences can be quite long, up to 9 inches (22.9 cm) in length in many S. wardii forms.  Because the inflorescences are so long, this species can make a very nice specimen placed in a large basket that enables the inflorescences to grow out and down.  The leaves of this orchid are a thick and leathery, green with a slight blue-gray tint to them, and are 9 to 16 inches  (22.9 to 40.6 cm) long and 2.8 to 3.8 inches (7.1 to 9.6 cm)  wide.  This orchid is one of the more easily grown species of Stanhopea and are often readily available in the orchid nursery trade.  For me, S. wardii has been a reliable bloomer every year and easily produces several inflorescences.  These attributes make this Stanhopea a good candidate to grow for a beginning grower.



Stanhopea wardii var.
citrina bud


The buds that are close to opening have a fantastic flourescent chartreus color, and the reddish brown spotts on the sepals can be seen before the flower opens!



Stanhopea Resources

 

This list of resources is not intended to be all encompassing.  I have listed some resources that I think will be most useful to the Stanhopea grower.  If you know of a good resource, please feel free to post a comment so that other people can learn from your experiences.

Web Resources

Stanhopea Pages - Nina Rach's excellent page on the genus

Essence of Stanhopea - A fantastic blog full of information and photos of Stanhopea

Stanhopeas Aren't Finicky - This a a great beginners guide to growing Stanhopeas by Barney Greer

Stanhopea Passion - Fernand Faria's blog of Stanhopea photos and ecology - in French

Stanhopea Collection From Gabriel - Nice blog with species photos and cultural information

IOSPE - Orchid photo encyclopedia that also has descriptions - search on Stanhopea

Orchid Board - This is a Catasetum and Stanhopea Alliance forum - you can search for Stanhopea posts

Foxdale Orchids - A rather good series of photographs of Stanhopea species and hybrids.

Books

The Stanhopea Book - Rudolf Jenny's excellent monograph of the genus Stanhopea.

The Astonishing Stanhopeas - Barney Greer's book on the culture of several Stanhopea species grown in Australia.

Publications

Dodson, C.H. and G.P. Frymire. 1961. Preliminary Studies in the Genus Stanhopea (Orchidaceae), Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden v. 48 (2) pp. 137-172. May .

Dondson, C.H.  1963. The Mexican Stanhopeas.  American Orchid Society Bulletin. pp 115-129. February.

Jenny, R. 1993. The Genus Stanhopea.  American Orchid Society Bulletin. pp 1270-1276 December.

Kennedy, G.C. 1975. The Stanhopeas of Mexico.  Orchid Digest.  pp 178-182 Sept.-Oct.

Kimnach, M. 1978. The cultivation of Stanhopeas. AOS Bulletin 47(9): 784-794.
 

Kraus, L. 1984.  The culture of Stanhopeas – “Confessions of a Requited Lover”. AOS Bulletin 53(4): 358-366.

Plant Sources

 There are too many suppliers of orchids to list them all, so I would suggest the following website where you can search for orchid nurseries nearest to your location.  This site also has some good lists of websites and blogs for orchids as well:

Orchidwire
 

Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea 'Predator'

S. tigrina var. nigroviolacea 'Predator" with two new flowers opening.

Awesome is an adjective that I like to use to describe this orchid.  It is one of my favorite varieties of Stanhopea that I usually place with S. tigrina var. nigroviolacea.  This orchid has some of the darkest and most intense oxblood, to almost black color on the petals and sepals.  As the grex name implies it is named after a favored cinematic alien invader that hunted humans.  The comparison of the photos here will allow you to make up your own mind…..they do resemble each other to me!

S. tigrina var. nigroviolacea 'Predator' with
four inflorescences open.

This plant is one of my older specimens and I re-basketed it last year.  Since I had purchased it over 10 years ago, it consistently provided me 2 inflorescences each year until last year when it only had one flower.  This year it has rewarded me with nine inflorescences and four have opened all at once.  This orchid has a strong fragrance that is very intense in the cool of the morning until about 11:00 a.m.  A large plant such as this one can produce several inflorescences, and the fragrance of the flowers can be so intense that it can be detected 20 feet away from the plant.  Some people find the fragrance too strong, and almost intoxicating!  The fragrance of these orchids is often described as chocolate and vanilla.  The major component of the fragrance of this orchid and several other Stanhopeas is phenylethyl acetate which can often provide a floral, fruity, or Liqueur-like fragrance.

 

Stanhope tigrina is a sturdy plant for southern California and is not only one of the showiest species in the genus, but is rather easy to grow.  It can often take early morning sun along the coast without burning and dappled shade the rest of the day.  Average fertilizer and water throughout the year are all it demands.  This is one species that can easily be placed in a large basket because the inflorescences can reach over 8 inches in length (20 cm) and can easily grow out of larger baskets.  These orchids produce the largest flowers in the genus and can approach 6 inches (15 cm) in width.  The leaves are tough and leathery 10.0 -12.5 inches (25.4-31.8) cm long and 3.3-4.5 inches (8.3-11.4) cm wide.

Here is another of my attempts at timelaps photography of Stanhopeas.  I was only able to get the last half of these two flowers opening.  It is difficult to get to the flowers before they open in the morning, so I had better be up at 4:00 a.m. for the next chance. 

Stanhopea shuttleworthii



Stanhopea shuttleworthii buds glowing
in the morning sun, 2 days from opening.

Waiting and watching Stanhopea inflorescences mature and come into bloom is part of the fun of growing this genus.  It is especially satisfying to witness the first flowering of a plant for the year.  This orchid surprised me by producing five inflorescences this year and the first one was way ahead of the rest.  This orchid was in bloom for a good 3 weeks, though with only one or two inflorescences at a time open.  Once Stanhopeas grow large enough, they are able to provide you with weeks of bloom even thought the individual flowers may last 3-5 days.

Stanhopea shuttleworthii with 5 inflorescences

This Stanhopea is native to Colombia and is found in foothills around 3000 feet (1000 m) in elevation. This species is listed as a warm grower, but seems to do just fine outside here in southern California.  It is provided a little extra shelter of a roof overhang in winter, so the plant is grown a bit warmer than some of my other species. I have this growing on the north-east side of the house and it only gets approximately 1 hour of direct sun in the summer.  The leaves are 15 - 17 inches (38.1 - 43.2 cm) long, 3.4 - 3.8 inches (8.6 - 9.5 cm) wide, and narrowly lanceolate in shape. The flowers are 5.6 inches (14.3 cm) wide.



Stanhopea shuttleworthii hypochile detail

This form has deep golden yellow sepals and petals with several reddish-brown large spots. The petals have large deep red eye spots at the base. The hypochile is primarily yellow with dark blood red eyespots on the side with what appears to be blood red smears on the inside of the hypochile.  The horns and epichile are primarily white with small red spots on the inside of the horns and top of the epichile.  There are forms that have lighter yellow sepals and petals with lighter reddish spots.

The fragrance of S. shuttleworthii is difficult to describe.  Some people say it smells like mothballs, others say it smells like an expensive perfume.  The fragrance shifts a bit, first smelling similar to vanilla when the flowers first open, later a combination of sweet mothballs and a light lemon scent.  After the flower has been open for a few hours, the fragrance reminds me of lemon meringue.  Most people find the fragrance rather pleasing and a good combination.

 

 

One of my first attempts to capture Stanhopeas flowering. The difficulty is making sure you are up early enough to have the equipment running in order to capture all the movements of the buds opening ;-)

How do you know your Stanhopea is happy?

 

Stanhopea shuttleworthii in bud

Other than the rather easy answer that your Stanhopea blooms consistently for you every year, there are other signs to observe that can help you understand how well your Stanhopea is growing.  A flowering Stanhopea is usually a content Stanhopea. I have noticed that they will not flower if they are severely stressed or not in the correct environment.  A Stanhopea that consistently produces several inflorescences every year is large enough and being provided the right care in order for it to put a great amount of effort and resources into flowering well.



Stanhopea insignis exhibiting older robust
pseudobulbs and new growth.

A plant that has several new and mature growths is doing well and will have the energy reserves to flower the following year.  A plant that has large pseudobulbs (this varies according to the species) is more likely to produce larger growths and more inflorescences.  Large and firm pseudobulbs are a sign that the plant is doing well.  Some species have folds or wrinkled surfaces such as S. insignis that may look like they are desiccated.  However, if you gently press the pseudobulb between your thumb and index finger and it is firm, then the plant is doing well.  However, if the pseudobulb is spongy or soft, then the plant may be getting either too much or too little water. 




Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea
producing several inflorescences

Once you have grown your Stanhopea for a few years, you may want to make a trophy plant out of it, re-basket it into a large basket and let it fill the entire container. This will provide you with a massive plant that will produce several if not dozens of inflorescences and bloom for several weeks. These trophy plants are very attractive and show stoppers. However, your orchid cannot remain in the same container forever, and it will eventually decline unless it is divided and re-basketed. Several growers have reported that a Stanhopea that was in decline and not blooming well was invigorated by dividing it and re-basketing the pieces.



Stanhopea gibbosa new root growth

Another sign that a plant is doing well is that it is producing new roots with green growth at the tips, this signifies a growing and elongating root.  The roots should be produced around the base of new pseudobulbs and also throughout the basket. In fact, I usually consider a Stanhopea is doing very well when you can see root growth around the outside edge of the basket.  This signifies that the plant is growing well and producing enough root growth to encompass the entire basket.  This root growth takes advantage of all the water and nutrients in the growing medium every time you water.  Root growth is most evident in the spring and summer months. If roots are not actively growing at this time, you may want to check your plant and make sure that it is receiving the correct amount of water. 

A plant that is not getting enough water will have a growing medium that is dry and the basket will be very light.  Your plant should always be moist, but not sopping wet.  An over dry plant will have roots that will turn gray in color and the roots will begin to die and become desiccated.  If your plant is receiving too much water the roots may not be receiving enough air for gas exchange.  In this last case the media will be soggy and the roots will look very dark brown to black and may be rotting in the anaerobic environment.