Bulbophyllum longiflorum

Here is one of our largest Bulbophyllums and one we have grown since the early 1990's. 

Each year the plant sends out new growths in May/June that snake out from the old bulbs and form new bulbs about 6-10cm away. The long rhizome developed can make the species a little tricky in pots but in baskets plants eventually form wonderful balls of bulbs and flowers.

The flowers are sub umbulate - meaning that they are almost an umbel where flowers are produced on short stems from a common point. The flowers arrange themselves on an almost complete circle so that they face in every direction. The flowers also have a distinct scent that to me smells of fresh mackerel (Very appropriate here on the Dorset Coast) which is much nicer than perhaps it sounds.

We previously grew this species as Bulbophyllum eberhardtii but recent revision has identified that the species has been described several times with different names. This is not surprising as the species has an extraordinary range from Uganda to Austrailia - very unusual in tropical orchids.

In the wild the species grows in open woodland and we find plants to be tough and very tolerant of different temperatures. We grow the species successfully both cool (hanging above our Masdevallias) with min 12C and indoors at a minimum of 17C.

The plant won a rosette at GWL and was flowering to perfection. The only downside to thgis wonderful species is that the flowers only last about a week - but what a week!