I love orchid buds almost as much as I like the flowers. Most orchids have the most amazing buds and I particularly like the moment right before they are about to open up, it is a very sensual moment. Dracula buds are right up there among my favorites. The fused long narrow sepals and the swelling flower threatening to burst them wide open at any moment…
This Dracula rezekiana came from Peru Flora in April and I think it is so beautiful! It is a small hot/cold growing epiphyte distributed across Ecuador and Peru where it grows at elevations from 800 – 1700 meters. Hot/cold growing… huh? I get a lot of questions as to what that really means. Well, it basically means that it thrives in quite varied circumstances in nature. From lower elevations where it is a bit warmer up to 1700 meters where it is a bit cooler, but mainly where it is a larger temperature difference between day/night. So in theory it should make it more tolerable to warmer temperatures than some other high elevation orchids.
What is true for all Dracula however is that they require pretty high relative humidity to do well, which makes them a challenge on the windowsill regardless of temperature. I grow all mine in the cool vivarium where RH usually hovers between 75-85%.
Spectacular specimen. I love orchids also. I like your website also.
Thanks Ellen!
I have a question, what is the range of temperature when you say “hot growing”?
Generally speaking…. Cool (10-13 night / 15-21 day), Intermediate (13-18 night / 18-24 day), Warm (18-21 night / 21-29 day – never lower than 7 degrees), Hot (21-24 night / 24-32 day – never lower than 10 degrees). I have written some more about temperature here.