Stanhopea tigrina

Stanhopea tigrina is a very special orchid and one we have had in our collection since the early 1990s. The species is remarkable for having the heaviest flowers of any orchid and these flowers are both beautiful and extremely fragrant. The fragrance is heady with vanilla and spice with a medicinal overtone - something we look forward to experiencing every year.

The very large flowers are produced in the early summer from the base of the newest bulbs and the travel downwards so plants are best grown in baskets although we have been successful in growing flowers on plants in pots by spotting the emerging flower spikes and training them over the edge of their pot by sliding a section of plastic pot under them and over the edge of the pot.

Stsanhopea tigrina is endemic to the mountains of Mexico and is found from 600 to 1700m giving the species tollerance of both high temperatures in the summer and cool temperatures in the winter (when we keep plants a bit dryer). We grow the species high in our Cloud Forest Greenhouse where they recieve good light and a bit more heat in the winter. We water heavily when in growth in the summer.