Orchids
Beautiful, rare orchids were sought out in Australia by adventurous plant hunters. Back in Victorian England, orchids could fetch up to £300 – around £25,000 in today’s money!
Dendrobium Kingianum (Pink Rock Orchid)
An epiphytic orchid with erect stems and up to 6, 3-10cm leaves produced from the upper portions of narrowly conical pseudobulbs. Fragrant pink, purple or white flowers with a crimson or purple veined or blotched lip, to 4cm across are produced in racemes to 15cm long from the pseudobulb tips in early spring.
Dendrobium Fimbriatum var Oculatum
Dendrobium fimbriatum was collected in Nepal in 1820 by Nathaniel Wallich who sent plants to the Liverpool Botanic Garden where it first flowered in 1822. William Hooker described it in his Exotic Flora in 1823. The specific epithet comes from the Latin fimbriatus (fimbriate) for the plumose-fimbriate margin to the lip, which is a distinctive characteristic of this species. Species of both of these sections have usually yellow flowers that last for 5-10 days.
Dendrobium Delicatum
An epiphytic, semi-evergreen orchid with long, cane-like, fleshy, green pseudobulbs, covered with thin, silvery sheaths. Two to five, dark green, thick, leathery leaves are alternately arranged near the top of each pseudobulb. Each lance-shaped leaf is 7-17cm long, and 3cm wide. Flowering stems up to 30cm long emerge from the axils of leaves on mature canes and carry clusters of white, 1cm small, fragrant flowers.
Dendrochilum Latifolium var Macranthum (Chain Orchid)
These more unusual orchids flower with beautiful long chains of small, densely packed flowers, earning them the nickname ‘Chain Orchid’. Though native to the Philippines, they can be found across South East Asia.
Dendrobium Ellen
A hybrid between Dendrobium kingianum and Dendrobium tetragonum.
Ambassador
The Orchid Project, based at Writhlington School is our Orchid case ambassador. The Orchid Project was set up in 1991 to develop student expertise in biotechnology and enterprise. The project combines excellence in science, horticulture, enterprise and sustainable development and encourages students to get hands on in all aspects. They have kindly donated orchids to us which you can now find on the ship’s weather deck.
