Aerangis umbonata (first blooming)

[calvin_orchidL]

Normally these have 4-6 flowers per spike - hoping for more next year! From Malala

[nenella]

Very cool! is it scented? and is that the whole of the plant one can see in the second photo?

[Bud]

Beautiful flower. I love the long spur...the color and form is true to its specie...since this has bloomed for you, the next time it will produce more blooms

[kevin1217]

What a cool flower! How big is the plant?

[WhiteRabbit]

wow - look at that spur! awesome!

[calvin_orchidL]

Thanks all! Yep, that's the entire plant. It's about 3" across in leaf span, I'd say. No scent that I could detect though!

[radiofreekirkwood]

Wow, that's beautiful. I love the subtle colors (colours) - the semi translucent white, green, beige, and rose - and that spur is phenomenal.

You mentioned it is from Malala; any tips on how you nursed it into such great health? I've got an order from Malala on it's way to me in the next few days and I'd appreciate any advice - I've never grown anything that wasn't from a greenhouse in the states...

[Jorch]

Great growing!! It looks so beautiful

[Tindomul]

Wow, thats amazing. Such a huge nectar chamber.

[calvin_orchidL]

Originally Posted by radiofreekirkwood

Wow, that's beautiful. I love the subtle colors (colours) - the semi translucent white, green, beige, and rose - and that spur is phenomenal.

You mentioned it is from Malala; any tips on how you nursed it into such great health? I've got an order from Malala on it's way to me in the next few days and I'd appreciate any advice - I've never grown anything that wasn't from a greenhouse in the states...

Hi Radio - Malala plants are very tricky, and my track record after ordering for 3 years is incredibly poor. I did not order this year because of this. My success rate has been less than 20%. The fact that they are just entering dormancy back home makes things worse, because they are forced into another growing season upon arriving here in the Northern hemisphere. In addition, some plants do better than others - I have, for instance, ordered ang. popowii 3 years in a row, and all 6 (expensive) plants have perished. Some, I expect, were dead on arrival!

Nonetheless, we keep trying! Feel free to share what you ordered!

There is a thread on another forum which describes people's experiences with rehabilitating these plants, and which plants seem to do well and not so well. PM me and I can direct you to it!