Sophronitis coccinea

[Rosim_in_BR]

This dwarf species is well known for the scarlet flowers and the intensive use in hybridization to produce large red, cattleya-like flowers. I live less then 15 miles away from the western border of this orchid habitat and loved to go see it in flower by this time of the year. It used to be a spectacle, an impressive view of thousands and thousands of these orchids. It was like the trees were adorned with small red, shinning lights in the sun. I doubt there was a single tree without at least one of these. That was by the beginning of the 80’s. The dark side? There is a highway cutting this habitat… the rest can easily be figured out! I got back there many times and since the 90’s no single plant is found where it was once so plentiful. Progress and conservation seldom go together without education!
This particular clone came from artificial sowing, I mean, in nature it would be a huge stroke of luck finding a flower so round, so full.