Another Fantastic Bucket Orchid

Our magnificent Coryanthes bruchmülleri has been flowering regularly since it reached maturity last summer. C. bruchmülleri is the Goliath of the genus, with flowers four to five inches in diameter.

Coryanthes bruchmülleri grows in lowland wet forests near the border of Colombia and Venezuela. In the wild, Coryanthes are typically found growing in ants' nests in a mutualistic relationship with the ants. It's not uncommon to read that Coryanthes are difficult to cultivate, perhaps lacking something provided in nature by the ants. In our greenhouses, without ants, they are no more difficult than any other member of the Stanhopeinae, provided you can exclude the slugs and bush snails that consume the roots and new shoots. Our tactics: frequent repotting, applications of diatomaceous earth, and eliminating the source of new introductions -principally orchids from Hawaii. I'm happy to report that we've got a capsule gestating on one of our plants. It will be terrific to get this fantastic species in production.