Arthur & Phyllis Kaplan Orchid Conservatory

Cattleya schilleriana coerulea.
Cattleya schilleriana has only been found in the wild in a few locations in the state of Espirito Santo in Brazil. Fortunately it is fairly easy to cultivate and has become a favorite in many orchid collections.
The flower of a coerulea ("blue") form shown here measures a bit over 4 1/4 inches in size and is lightly fragrant. This is the first bloom on our specimen and we hope that the flowers will increase in size with age. While the standard species thrives when grown under very high light levels, some growers recommend that this form should be given slightly lower light levels to prevent leaf scorch.

Cattleya maxima coerulea 'Gigi' x 'Angelo'.
Cattleya maxima is native to Ecuador and the northern coast of Peru. The coerulea ("blue") form is highly prized and this excellent cross from our friends at Ecuagenera is a definite winner.

Paphiopedilum superbiens var. curtisii is native to the island of Sumatra. The flower shown here vertically measures 4 1/4 inches in size and these single blooms persist from May into July.

Dendrobium Nichole Yoshikane is a primary hybrid between Dendrobium smillieae and Dendrobium goldschmidtianum that was introduced in 2004. It is a moderately statured plant with thin canes that extend to approximately 2 feet in length. Our plant procuces clusters of waxy flowers, each measuring about an inch in size, from December into June.

Mexipedium xerophyticum was discovered in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1990 and is critically endangered in the wild, only documented from a few restricted locations. Fortunately it responds well to cultivation and is now becoming more familiar in horticultural collections. Although it naturally occurs on limestone outcrops, we grow our plants as we do our phragmipediums; in a mix of chunky bark and large grade perlite, with pots set in shallow saucers of water.

Each flower measures about 3/4 inches in size, set on thin stems that extend to 5-6 inches in height.

Dendrobium aphanochilum is native to the Molucca Islands of Indonesia. It is closely related to Dendrobium lawesii (found in New Guinea) but is smaller-statured than that species and upright in habit vs. pendulous. Flowers measure about 1 1/2 inches in length and are usually pure white. A distinct form with a pink dorsal blush is shown here.

Phragmipedium Peruflora's Angel is a primary hybrid between Phragmipedium kovachii and Phragmipedium richteri that was introduced in 2007.

The flower shown here measures 4 inches in size.

Papilionanda Nonthaburi 'Kauai' is a compact vandaceous hybrid that was introduced in 1992. Its flowers measure a bit over 1 1/2 inches and are faintly fragrant.

Dracula vespertilio is native from Nicaragua to Colombia and central Ecuador. Like most Dracula orchids, the lip resembles fungi - and the flower emits a similar odor - in order to attract fungus gnat pollinators.

Our plant is growing in intermediate conditions in deep, sopping wet, shade. The flower shown here measures 4 1/2 inches from tip to tip.

Cattleya iricolor looking - and smelling - fantastic on the bench this morning. Its intensely fragrant flowers each measure about 3 1/2 inches in size. This unique cattleya is native to Ecuador and Peru.