On Friday, July 1, 2022, Michael Manna and I visited
Meke Aloha Orchids
in Sarasota, Florida. Michael had been particularly keen on visiting because
of his deep interest in Schomburgkia species and hybrids. He was in luck
because the owner of Meke Aloha Orchids, Paul Storm, is, as far as I know, the
world's foremost grower and breeder of Schomburgkia species and hybrids. While
Michael went gaga over the incredible diversity and variety of plants at Meke
Aloha Orchids, I took photographs. Unfortunately, I did not, with a single
exception, record what I was photographing. So, the following do not have
names but I will revise this post to include the names should they become
known to me in the future. However, I hope that this will give you an idea of
the diversity of plants that Paul is growing and a visit to the Meke Aloah
Orchids website is well worth it for anyone with an interest in Schomburgkia species
and hybrids.
Schomburgkia hybrid. |
Cattleytonia hybrid. |
Encyclia species or hybrid. |
Encyclia species or hybrid. |
Schomburgkia hybrid. |
Encyclia species or hybrid. |
Schomburgkia hybrid. |
Schomburgkia hybrid. |
Broughtonia sanguinea, an orchid species native to Jamaica. The flowers are typically red but can range from pure white to pink, orange-red, red, scarlet, and even yellow. |
Image and text © 2022
Rufino Osorio