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This is a blog about one guys journey collecting and growing Stanhopeas

Stanhopea (Pronounced stan-HOPE-ea)

“… I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s huge savage beauty, it’s uninhibited perfume, the incredible sculpture of the lip! The way the buds exploded into life, flaunted their brazen charms like Can Can dancers and then fell in a heap! This was an ORCHID. I was hooked. …” Barney Greer

A little back ground on Stanhopeas

Stanhopea is a genus of epiphytic, sympodial orchids with pendant inflorescences. It was first described by Sir William Hooker in 1829, through publication of Stanhopea insignis in the Botanical Magazine. The genus is named for the Rt. Hon. Philip Henry Stanhope, Earl of Stanhope, President of the Medico-Botanical Society of London 1829-1837.

Stanhopeas are found growing from sea level to about 4000m elevation. They have plicate, dark-medium green leaves with distinct, grooved petioles. The pseudobulbs range in size from small walnuts to large pears. The plants are medium-sized and can grow into very large clumps