Revived orchids

This strange "rotting flesh" orchid was a DIY store rescue. The colours look very much like the flowers of the stapelias which smell of carrion to attract pollinating flies. I can detect no scent so perhaps it is just a "look alike"





Greenhouse, kitchen and living room are beginning to fill with rescued orchids now! They are so easy to grow and the individual flowers last for months :D The supermarkets and DIY stores charge high prices for them when they are in full bloom, but so neglect them that they wither and look half dead. They are not and with a little water and TLC, they bounce back. This orchid had no flowers and was a shriveled wreck when I bought it last year for �£1.99 marked down from �£9.99!

 

That is a flower to die for Hornbeam!!!

Kind regards and thanks for the precious info re general DIY shop price mark-downs.
Roy

 

I want one!!!!!!!!

 

Its a good one Hornbeam, do you know the name?
Just like one of these, eh.


:D

 

Lovely shot of a weird plant, pete! Is it yours? I have a succulent plant which I only know as "Dead Man's Fingers" (not the cactus by that name)that flowered just once and that had similar coloured blotchy flowers.
Ever seen one of these?
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/june02/shabajee/arkive_rafflesia.jpg

 

Its fantastic pete, and it should be called the Bett Lynch :D

 

Pete's is definitely the Stapelia variegata, the Carrion flower as HB mentioned above. My book says they have "evil-smelling flowers" ... personally, I think they are a bit evil looking!

[ 05. September 2006, 10:02 AM: Message edited by: Lady of Leisure ]

 

I do believe you're correct L of L about the name, see what you mean BM :D
I've never seen a raffelsia Hornbeam, but would like to, even though the smell is supposed to be awful.
I've got another stapelia, whats this one called?
It stinks and is quite hairy.

 

Have a look here, Pete: http://www.collectorscorner.com.au/Cacti/Stapeliads.htm

The rafflesia is reckoned to be the world's biggest flower and attracts flies into its central chamber. It is often 36inches in diameter and the record is 42 inches. The other contender for the title of the largest flower is the Titan Arum which flowered in Cambridge Botanic Garden last year. That is not a single flower though as there are lots of small flowers in the gigantic spathe. Lots of info on both in David Attenborough's superb book, video and DVD "The Private Life of Plants" which every plant lover should read and watch :D

 

PS - correction - the Titan Arum flowered in 2004. See it here: http://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/titan.htm

 

Hi Pete - I think your second stapelia is Stapelia hirsuta. It does look hairy

 

It's not qute hairy enough to be S. hirsuta - that one is seriously and rather disturbingly hairy :eek: I grew this yonks ago when it was called S. nobilis (purple form), because the most common form at the time was more or less yellowish with sparser purplish striations. Nowadays it is known as S. grandiflora and comes in varying intensity of shades depending upon the density of the purple striations. Some can be almost black. Nice flower Pete, such a pity about the pong

 

Must have one! Anyone know of a supplier?

 

The purple one looks like a designer sofa cushion to me! :eek: