grammatophyllum scriptum... the 'deliverance' stage

[Voyagenation]

Hi Shane, this is a beautiful large species and are endemic to the Philippines too. I have one and dont know what its name is as I just bought it in Bicol, a southern province here in the Philippies.

Here is a photo of a Grammatophyllum in the wild. I took this last May 9th, 2011 in Palawan. An large island in the Philippines. The 2nd photo is a close up, maybe it can help better identify this orchid.

I don't know the name of this variant.

[smurphr]

Hi Shane, this is a beautiful large species and are endemic to the Philippines too. I have one and dont know what its name is as I just bought it in Bicol, a southern province here in the Philippies.

Here is a photo of a Grammatophyllum in the wild. I took this last May 9th, 2011 in Palawan. An large island in the Philippines. The 2nd photo is a close up, maybe it can help better identify this orchid.

I don't know the name of this variant.

OH WOW!!! so i live just a few minutes away...well, by plane, and i do plan on visiting the philippines hopefully in spring...i may be looking you up so you can show me some places to see orchids in the wild!!! that is just amazing!!! im hoping to do some camping trips around taiwan this summer in search of some in the wild...so far ive only come across a few terrestrials and usually not in flower... I NEED SOME TIME IN THE PHILIPPINES!!!

[Voyagenation]

Shane, just say so and I will be more than happy to show you around. However, the wild orchids are usually up in the mountains and some distance in travel. If you are ready for some rough and rugged camping, I can join you. So come after the the monsoon season, like November, December or Janurary when most of the local orchids will be in bloom since its cooler and a lot colder in the mountains.

[orchidsal]

Shane and Raul I have enjoyed these photos immensely. I am particularly amazed by these long graceful spikes of flowers. I just purchased a Grammatophyllum multiflorum. Its a fairly large orchid in a 5 inch hanging pot with that extra long leaf span. These are known to bloom up to 9 months a year, but I would settle for 8 months, 29 days, and 23 hours if I have to........... Great growing guys! AL

[Dorsetman]

I love it. Please help a poor gwailo ( do you use that term where you are ? ) Is this the pure species ? ( G.scriptum ). Do they vary like say Ansellias, from almost pure yellow to almost pure orangey-brown ? That's a six inch pot (15cm ) ? And spikes maybe up to 5 feet (1.5m) long ?
I am asking to be educated about a plant that you might see here in Uk once or twice in a lifetime - the half dozen I have seen have been on my travels mostly.

[Voyagenation]

Shane and Raul I have enjoyed these photos immensely. I am particularly amazed by these long graceful spikes of flowers. I just purchased a Grammatophyllum multiflorum. Its a fairly large orchid in a 5 inch hanging pot with that extra long leaf span. These are known to bloom up to 9 months a year, but I would settle for 8 months, 29 days, and 23 hours if I have to........... Great growing guys! AL

I was just at my sister's house and saw her coffee table book on Philippine Orchids. I saw the multiflorum, and its an amazing and unique grammatophyllum orchid with its one color feature. Usually they have the dark maroon freckles. I am sure you will enjoy your bloom when they come.

[Voyagenation]

Hi Geoff,

Am sorry i have not heard of "gwailo". What is it?

The photo I posted is surely a pure species in the wild, and in the book I looked at today it looks like the scriptum. There is a dark chocolate colored elegans with reverse freckles of yellow, seemingly the opposite of the scriptum. I had the scriptum but it was unfortunately destroyed by the Labrador puppy when the household helper left it on the floor when I was out of town. The 5 feet spikes are surely a treat specially if you can have specimen sizes. Perhaps its too cold for the kind of climate you have in England and thus the rarity. I am not so educated in this area, I would like to raise them in the fish farm northeast of where I live. Its warmer there and suits its needs.

[smurphr]

ya, 'guailo' is a cantonese thing, though china has its version too...it means 'ghost person'...but really...it means "dirty evil robbin white devil bastard that needs to get the hell out of my neighborhood before i cut him" ...here in taiwan we tend to stick to laowai, old foreigner...but every now and again, you here someone whisper something bit more offensive ;-)

[catttan]

I love it. Please help a poor gwailo ( do you use that term where you are ? ) Is this the pure species ? ( G.scriptum ). Do they vary like say Ansellias, from almost pure yellow to almost pure orangey-brown ? That's a six inch pot (15cm ) ? And spikes maybe up to 5 feet (1.5m) long ?
I am asking to be educated about a plant that you might see here in Uk once or twice in a lifetime - the half dozen I have seen have been on my travels mostly.

I think they are as variable as the Ansiellias . The yellow form is var citrina and the choc barred are var tigrina.There are a lot of variations in the base colour - from green to yellow - of citrina and the markings on tigrina. I think I have posted pictures of Grammatophyllum growing in my friend's farm and he has a few other species of Gram. apart from scriptum.

BTW gwailo is not used in Malaysia. We use Mat Salleh instead. The story was that in the early days of the founding of Penang, a group of British sailors ' who had just landed in Penang after months at sea sailing from Britain, went on a drunken spree around the town, and their behaviour caused great consternation among the locals. The local headman fearing that the sailors wereamok ( run amuck - our local contribution to the English language) ran to the governor's residence to report the matter. The governor then was Sir Francis Light, the founder of Penang. He assured the headman that they were just a bunch of 'mad sailors ' who were harmless. Thus reassured he went back to the town and told the townsfolk that everything was all right because the rowdy bunch was just 'mat salleh' ( Malay pronunciation). That name stuck. I have this story from a very reliable source, a judge no less.

[Dorsetman]

[QUOTE=Voyagenation;244000]Hi Geoff,

<Am sorry i have not heard of "gwailo". What is it? >

It's a word used in Hong Kong referring to western europeans -not intended to be complimentary - Shane explains in a further posting....

We don't even see this genera to b able to buy plants, very often ; I guess that most are too big to grow in glasshouses as we must. My only Gram' is labelled as Nuan Yam Tiger - which I can't find in Orchidwiz so don't know anything about it. . The oldest bulbs have shrivelled, but the three front ones, the last two of which have good leaves, are up to 3 inches, maybe a bit more than that, high , and it has just started a new growth with a new set of roots too .