Schomburgkia rosea
As a matter of general interest do you think Bruce ( when you get around to reading this) that a Schom' should be in this forum , or in the Cattleyas ? It's a point I often wonder about in most of the forums . ( For those not quite so taxonomically minded, Schomburgkia is a very close relative - both are in the same grouping - the Laeliniae ).
Two spikes here - I'm thrilled - they are so rarely seen in UK, and then usually on plants newly imported. I have had this plant three years now and I knew it was doing better when it produced two leads...I have a couple of other species also doing well, one of which ( S. moyambae also produced two leads and two spikes, but a slug found them whilst I was away in January, and there is not much in the way of flower bud left. The bulbs are OK - these plants are carved from mahogany or something similar, I doubt if a slug could touch a bulb - although a new growth might be a bit more tender).
However, stop wandering off the point Geoff... S.rosea has flowers 2 inch across, and the raceme or whatever it is ( I'm forgetting my basic botany now ! ) is on stems 15-20 inches long, above bulbs which are 8-10 inch high. Not big by Schomburgkia standards , I have seen them in Venezuela with flower stems five feet long and flowers twice this size - but don't know what species that was ( wish I did ! ) - I might just get them in my greenhouse, and would certainly like to try !.
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