Panamanian Orchids

It has been a long, long time since I have posted anything on this blog, but here I am starting a new blog and I was reminded that I still had this one. I have been neglecting the Armchair Orchidist for far too long and I'm currently living in Panama, so I have a lot of orchid pictures to

I will start off with some of the orchids we've seen so far. We've seen a lot, so I may break this up over a couple of entries...



The Ubiquitous Brassovola Nodosa (this plant is everywhere in the lowlands of Central America)

Epidendrum Radicans

Encyclia Brassovolae

Unknown Dresseleria

Epidendrum Barbeyanum

Common Bamboo Orchid

Maxillaria Inaudita

More Recent Blooms

This one is Potinara Burana Beauty

This is Oncidium Ornithorhynchum. It smells sort of like candy.

Frozen Orchid

This is what a frozen orchid looks like.

I received this orchid in the mail with no heatpack, or other precaution taken. It was 18F degrees when the orchid arrived. They never told me they were sending it and evidently did not check the weather forecast first. It looked fine at first, but that was because it was frozen solid. This is how it looked a few hours after I brought it in.

What Does This Orchid Look Like?

Image courtesy of: Paul Nielsen's British Flora Gallery

For a picture of the animal this orchid resembles, click here.

...

This is the Bee Orchid, Ophrys Apifera. It resembles a bee in order to attract other bees, who attempt to mate with it. In the process they gather the flower’s pollen and transport it to other flowers, fertilizing them. The Bee Orchid is terrestrial, meaning that, unlike many orchids, it grows directly in the soil and is deciduous. Most non-tropical orchids share these qualities. This plant is common in parts of England and Europe. Here is a picture of the whole flower stalk.

Image courtesy of: Paul Nielsen's British Flora Gallery