ID on gorgeous yellow Stanhopea

[SueK]

Hi can anyone give me an ID on this Stanhopea? I bought it from an old guy at a market with no name to it. It didn't flower for me last year but the plant looks healthy. Does anyone have any ideas why it missed flowering last year? Do they skip flowering some years or maybe my growing conditions are not quite right. Do they like bright light or a bit darker? I've heard of some people hanging them outside under a tree. Is there a Stanhopea expert out there? As you can see it was such a magnificent show when it did flower. Hope you like the pics. It looked wonderful hanging in the corner of my kitchen.

thanks
Sue

[Orchidflowerchild]

Probably wardii. I grow Stans warm (as if I have a choice, here) in basically cattleya light levels. ABout 2800-3000fc. it is important to keep them pretty moist, like Phals, to keep their leaves pretty and their bulbs plump.

For more info on stanhopea, look here: the Stanhopea Pages

-Cj

[Gwallogwyn]

Sue The stanhopea you have is Oculata. There is a good picture on the Santa Barbara Orchid Estates web site.
There are several other photos on Meyers Conservatory site also. Cultivar Photo: Stanhopea oculata 'CedarWood Slip'

[Frdemetr]

Sue,
I agree with Gwallogwyn, it's probably a Stan oculata; similar species are dodsoniana and whittenii, but the abundant flowering in your plant is typical for oculata! The oculata fragrance is very typical: vanilla/chocolate.

[addictedcountryman]

mmm vanilla chocolate....

[Orchidflowerchild]

Originally Posted by Gwallogwyn

Sue The stanhopea you have is Oculata. There is a good picture on the Santa Barbara Orchid Estates web site.
There are several other photos on Meyers Conservatory site also. Cultivar Photo: Stanhopea oculata 'CedarWood Slip'

THat's funny! I didn't even think of occulata, and that picture is my plant that sadly froze to death in 2004.

-Cj

[Royal]

I don't see the 'eye' spot characteristic of S. oculata. Could it be hernadezii?

[SueK]

I think my Stanhopea does look like Oculata but I also now think it looks like Wardii. Do they both have the eye spot? Thanks for all the helpful answers.

[Gwallogwyn]

Many stanhopeas have eyespots. Stanhopeas are identied by the shape and proportion of the elements of the lip. These are the hypochile (the upper portion) the mesochile (the center part with the horns) the epichile ( the outer most portion and the column where the sexual parts are found. The color and pattern are of little value because there is to much variation within a species. Stanhopea wardii is quite different than oculata.

[isurus79]

After reading this thread for the past couple of weeks, I finally broke down and got out my books, one from Barney Greer and two from Dr Rudolf Jenny. I think that this is definitely not wardii and is most likely occulata or one of its many "spinoffs" (ie. closely related allies). Wardii is usually yellow and seems to have thicker horns and different shaped mesochile than occulata and the pics posted here. The occulata photos and descriptions from the books seem to match the pics posted here.