The 30,000 or so species of orchids around the world have tremendous variations in their flower shapes. Some of them have shapes that are truly surprising. Others are so unusual that it can be tough to believe that they’re real. And some have flowers that are just plain weird. Here are some great examples from […]
Question: if you put 150,000 orchid flowers in a room, what will you have? Answer: the 2009 Pacific Orchid Exposition in San Francisco. You’ll also have Dave and me running around with our cameras, trying to take pictures of as many of those flowers as possible. Here are a few samples: This year’s theme was […]
If you don’t live in the tropics, you may be surprised that this beautiful flower belongs to a pesky weed. If you live in a rainy area of the tropics, you probably recognize it. It’s Arundina, commonly known by its nickname “Bamboo Orchid.” The small plant in the 3rd photo shows the strong stems and […]
Jewel orchids are a fascinating group of plants that are grown for their beautiful foliage. Usually, mention of their colorful leaves includes a statement that the flowers are uninteresting. I always find that an amusing statement, but maybe I’m biased as an orchid geek that all orchids are interesting. I do believe that this mini […]
Valentine’s Day means roses and chocolates for many people, but they’re not the only holiday gifts. If you received an orchid as a gift for Valentine’s Day, you may be wondering how to properly care for it. It will help to first identify it so that you can know its specific needs. It’s usually not […]
In honor of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday today (by the way, he was born the exact same day as Abraham Lincoln!) I have some remarkable pictures of “Darwin’s Orchid.” This stunning orchid has a long scientific name, Angraecum sesquipedale. Easier to pronounce is its nickname, Darwin’s Orchid, so named since it played an important role […]
In the town of Volcano on the road to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Akatsuka Orchid Garden has one of the aloha state’s largest orchid collections. We couldn’t resist a trip to their store and showroom, and found ourselves there with busloads of tourists who had just visited nearby Kilauea Volcano. Many of these spectacular hybrids […]
We have so many great pictures from Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden that I couldn’t fit them into just one post. So here are a few more orchids photos: And here are a few more non-orchid photos: And here are some great examples of how orchids grow in the wild. In the tropical rainforest, orchid roots […]
While we were visiting the Big Island of Hawaii, Dave and I took a trip to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. Located north of Hilo in a real tropical rainforest, the garden is a lush paradise of exotic plants from rainforests around the world, including lots of orchids. We spent half the day soaking in the […]
The Big Island of Hawaii has perfect growing conditions for many tropical orchids. One type frequently found there is Spathoglottis plicata, or the Philippine ground orchid. Unlike most commonly cultivated varieties, it’s a terrestrial, meaning that it grows in soil. This orchid is native to a large area of south Asia, stretching from India through […]
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