This morning while sipping a cup of coffee in the verandah, I became aware of a sweet scent in the air. I was drawn towards the perfume and then after looking carefully around, I could see some orchids almost obscured from view as it was hidden by the ferns and other plants which were trying to make their presence known by their beautiful perfume permeating the air. I started to walked towards the hanging baskets of ferns and to my surprise, I came face to face with my long neglected Upside Down Orchid with a number of single bloom flowers at the base of their swollen pseudo bulbs. As its name suggested, they grew vertically downwards through the potting media and flower underneath the plant. I also found the label still attached to one of its bulbs with its botanical name S. nigrovialacea clearly written on it. ( Thanks to my wife Jo, who always insist that I label my plants so that I do not have an increasing collection of unknown plants in the garden.)
Stanhopeas or Upside Down Orchids are found from Mexico through Central America to the orchid rich forests of Colombia, Equador, Peru and Brazil. The spectacular waxy, heavily textured flowers with rich purple brown blotches on cream are relatively short lived (up to 1 week) but are guaranteed to create interest and pleasure for the grower and their visitors.
