Encyclia cordigera [HBK] Dressler 1964, the typical form of the species, sometimes sold as a "semi alba"

In Puerto Rico, this species poses no challenge to cultivate.  It can tolerate drought and grows best if it gets a few hours of full sun every day.  Note that is its growing in a basket that hardly has any potting material.  The bane of this species is root loss due to overwatering.  I just doesn't tolerate media that remains wet.  I grow my plants high in the orchid house, just under the shade clothe where they get the brightest light.  Good fertilization while in active growth is the key to large pseudobulbs.

Bulbophyllum lasiochilum Parish & Rchb.f 1874, the yellow form, easy to cultivate and and a vigorous grower under my local climatic conditions

This species grows quite well in my locality.  This is the yellow form.  You can also see the "red" form which also goes by the name of Bulbophyllum breviscaphum.  The only problem this species poses for the average hobbyist is keeping the plant under control as the long internodes can result in the new growths being produced in the air instead of attached to the mount.  If well cared for this plant can produce an untidy mass of small pseudobulbs, some of which will be entirely detached from the mount.  I have written several articles about this plant and they can be found elsewhere in this blog.

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

A peculiar Phalaenopsis: Phal. Center Stage 'Pine Ridge Cockleshell' AM/AOS, a rare stable peloric form

This is a very peculiar flower.  This orchid petals are unique in what only can be described as a Roscharchian way.  Unfortunately a photo can't approach the experience of looking at an inflorescence of these orchids in the flesh.   But it has been some years since I last saw a plant of this cross.  I wonder if it has gone out of fashion and has been superseded by new and even more unusual hybrids.  This plant won an AM/AOS when exhibited in St. Croix as a cut inflorescence by Irma Selles.