A Visit to Meke Aloha Orchids

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