Friday Orchid Blogging

Prosthechea cochleata (formerly Encyclia cochleata)

This is a species plant, i.e., it's not a hybrid of different orchids. It's pretty easy to grow, likes to dry out between waterings, though I've found that sometimes you can waterlog the roots and kill 'em. Mine, in the photo, does not have any scent, though some cochleatas (cochleatum?) do. The plant likes a good amount of sun, though like all orchids it can burn if you're not careful to acclimate it to the light, and once this baby starts blooming, it keeps putting out more and more flowers on the bloom spike for literally six to eight months. I remember I finally cut mine off last time out of concern it was taxing the plant too much - not to mention, after six months, you get a bit tired of the flower!

Anyway, it's a good plant, quite "common," but also quite cool. There's an "alba" version too, i.e., albino, that's quite cool as well.

Enjoy.