Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Bulbophyllum lobbi, Malacca form, Very different from the Bulb. lobbii that I had seen locally.


In January I received a two pseudobulb piece of this orchid.  Needless to say I gave this orchid the best care possible.  Given that it arrived at the start of the local dry season I had to drench it daily for months to ensure that it would not suffer from the low humidity.  The reason for all that zeal at watering was that the plant was sent bare root and lacked a good root system to use the moisture.   Once the rainy season arrived, with its high humidity, the plant thrived.    The reward for all the effort caring for this plant was this stunning flower that opened today.

As you can imagine I am extremely happy with this orchid whose flower is strikingly different from the most common Bulbophyllum lobbii forms.   I am mystified by the fact that my other Bulbophyllum lobbii plant has been growing slowly and weakly in comparison with this one.    My plan is to grow this plant into an specimen.

Bulbophyllum lobbii is a member of the Sestochilos section of the genus Bulbophyllum.   This species is widespread in Asia, from northern India to the Phillippines¹.   Malacca is the third smallest Malaysian state after Perlis and Penang.

¹La Croix, I. F.  2008. The new encyclopedia of orchids: 1500 species in cultivation

No comments: