The Orchid Society of Great Britain

population of seedlings was raised, one of
which was given to us. Surprisingly out of
her seedling stock, she flowered three colour
varieties which is most unusual for this
orchid. They were all a creamy yellow devoid
of the famous dark maroon spotting. Ours
was a rich golden yellow with orange
marking at the base of the lip.
Looking closely at the petals one can just see
the ghost of the original spotting that would
have appeared on a normal plant.
As a rule, raising self-pollinated species from
seed produces a very even selection and so
to have these variations out of an orchid
which has been raised many times by many
people is most unusual.
(It was with much sadness that we heard of
Brian’s death on 23 rd September 2010. There
will be an obituary in the next issue of the
Journal- Ed.)
Stanhopea tigrina var. aurea
Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea
Eileen Watson
In contrast to the splendid golden-yellow
Stanhopea tigrina var. aurea described by
Brian Rittershausen, this photograph shows
another variety of Stanhopea tigrina – the
highly coloured var. nigroviolacea.
I too am thrilled when the large buds of this
plant, which grow down through the
compost, suddenly burst open usually in July.
This year the plant excelled itself with seven
blooms, each about 150mm (6 inches) across.
There will be an article on stanhopeas in a
future issue of the Journal.
Brian Rittershausen, who died on 23rd September 2010
Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea (photo by Eileen
Watson)
OSGBJ 2010 (59), No. 4 • 257