Thursday, June 30, 2011

Mystacidium Capense, Orchid



I thought I'd take a break from the art and share another interest of mine: orchids. 
So, I'm a total amateur at growing orchids, but I have a few plants that are willing to work with me and my space. One such plant is my Mystacidium Capense. From what I can remember, this plant is native to South Africa, and is often found growing on citrus trees. It is pollinated at night by moths with long curly noses, hence the long spurs growing off the backs of the flowers.

The flowers are pretty cool. Each is roughly 3/4" wide with a 2" spur hanging off the back. They take a long time to develop (a few months), and then all pop open at once.

They have an incredibly strong floral-coconut fragrance at night.

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