Tuesday, September 7, 2010

An Orchid as Tall as a Tree

 

 

 

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Really? I asked my friend who was talking about his orchid blossoms that were starting to unfurl these six foot spikes of orchid blooms. Well a small tree actually, it took over nine years for the first blooms of these plants and he was very excited to show his first blooms to this plant fanatic in exchange for some photos.

I was very interested in checking out his story and considering that they are very slow bloomers, it was worth the effort coming out to his place in the jungles of Opihikao, Hawaii. 

 

The photo below shows my friend, who is 6 ft tall, with the flower spike already looming above his head.  Each flower alone is about the size of his outstretched hand.

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The orchid growing on the ground is a species of orchid called Grammatophyllum Speciosum which the largest orchid species in existence. Its pseudo bulbs alone can grow up to three miters in height and in maturity can reach to over 25 feet, isn’t that unbelievable? This plant is a very young nine year old and yet the flower spikes were over six foot tall, quite impressive, and there were already three flower spikes coming out simultaneously. Next to the stems are the psuedo bulbs which in the picture are probably four foot in height.

 

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Well this really does inspire and hold true as one of the largest orchids I have ever seen. I’m glad I took the time to visit, take some pictures and am now sharing this beautiful orchid with my viewers, hope you enjoyed this visit.

 

To see other flowers for today come and visit http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

To visit other fertilizer fridays go to http://www.tootsietime.com/2010

28 comments:

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Ciao Noel,
guardare queste foto dei tuoi fiori si rimane senza fiato !
Magnifici :-)
Buona serata.

Kimberly said...

Hi, Noel! This is the most amazing, yet, I think! Your friend's orchid is unbelievable! If nine years is immature, how long do they live?! The flower spike is gorgeous and the stalks are HUGE! My goodness! Well worth the visit to the jungle!!

africanaussie said...

Wow Noel, you do find some interesting flowers, but this beats the cake! thanks for sharing this wonderful exhibit with us.

lotusleaf said...

Incredible orchid! The flowers look like they have leopard markings. Amazing flowers.Thanks for sharing.

Surfie said...

That is incredible! I never knew there were orchids that grew so large. Well worth the wait!

Anonymous said...

That was an amazing orchid. Nine years? That is patience.

Ami said...

Wow, never would have thought to relate an orchid to a tree! Unbelievable! The flowers are stunning themselves too. Thanks for sharing this beauty!

debsgarden said...

That is amazing. I am wondering, since the plant is relatively young, will it continue to grow and become even taller with age? The blooms really are beautiful.

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

That orchid is a familiar sight here in Malaysia too. I was lucky to actually see this orchid in the wild, in its natural habitat when I was young, as we walked a mile to the school everyday. Now they are domesticated in someone's garden or pots, very rare in the wild. Huh, they really take ages to bloom! ~bangchik

Steve Asbell said...

How rewarding it must be to finally see this bloom! Thank you for sharing with us.

Stone Art's Blog said...

wow these are fantastic, I can understand his excitment

Carol said...

Beautiful ... worth waiting for. ;>)

Shirley said...

That is amazing! I had no idea orchids could grow so tall!

Lovely photography. I enjoyed visiting your site today!

klaraau01 said...

ahh what a beauty! And to see one growing in the bush naturally is such a treat! I can just imagine your friend looking after it for many years and being rewarded with these magical blooms!
Thank you very much for sharing this special orchid

DeniseinVA said...

That's an amazing orchid Noel, thank you for sharing. I found this post so interesting. Thanks also for stopping by my blog and letting me know where your TF post was. Much appreciate that. Have a great weekend.
An English Girl Rambles

Pat's Addition said...

I checked out your earlier orchid posts, but this one is really interesting. I have finally gotten some of my orchids to bloom. They are enjoying the porch for the summer and look healthy so I have hope for the future.

Carletta said...

Such an amazing orchid. Thanks for sharing it with us. I always think of orchids as delicate and yet it would seem this might not be the case especially with particular one.
Love your friend's shirt - takes me back to younger days!

Thanks for visiting my guest friend page this week. :)

PC said...

WOW! That is amazing - our orchds are grown in a garden window and only get about 12 inches - I had no idea they would get so big! Very lovely - thanks for sharing, Paula from Idaho
http://bucketideasforgardening.blogspot.com/

Suzy said...

That is truly amazing. It would dwarf my tiny grocery store bought window orchid :-) Beautiful!

Beth said...

Whoa! That is one huge orchid. Beautiful too! Thanks so much for making the journey to a friend's house to share that with us!

Beth said...

Noel, The orchid is fabulous! Wow! I love the color of it and the size. I've never seen anything like it. So glad you shared the photos with us.
Blessings, Beth

Glennis said...

So pretty and so huge well worth sharing.

Unknown said...

That is some big orchid he has. Outstanding! I'm still trying to make my way down the list at FF as I had to leave and go to my 11 year old Grandson's 1st football game yesterday!

Digital Flower Pictures said...

Almost nothing surprises me about Orchids anymore (since there are 22,000+ species) although your friend's is very impressive. I have a Black Orchid posted for Today's Flowers.

Mahalo for posting this.

Elizabeth Barrow said...

Unbelievable! Thank you so much for sharing this!

Tootsie said...

wow...that is mind blowing that it is so tall!!! outstanding! thanks for flaunting with me!

LadyFi said...

Wow - nine years of patient waiting for those fabulous blooms! Amazing!

Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings said...

Noel, I love coming here and seeing flowers which only bloom in my imagination. Happy Bloom Day.~~Dee

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