Valeria Valkova Conservatory Greenhouse
A warm to hot growing epiphytic orchid, found growing on tree branches and trunks, in humid forests often close to rivers. It produces egg-shaped swollen stems called pseudobulbs which store water and nutrients, growing from a creeping, rooting stem with which it attaches itself to the bark of the tree. A single club-shaped leaf is produced to the top of each pseudobulb. Unpleasantly scented flowers in pale pink with fine stripes are produced singly, but in succession, on a stem up to 70cm long, from spring to summer. The flowers have a warty, movable, reddish-purple lip, a specially adapted petal evolved to attract pollinators. The flowers are the largest to be found in the genus
Position
Partial shade
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres