PlantSnap Photos of the Week 2021

Stanhopea tigrina - Orchid

Stanhopea tigrina – Orchid

Stanhopea tigrina is a species of plant in the Orchidaceae family endemic to Mexico. The difference between this orchid and others is how the flower comes up from the bottom. When grown in a normal pot, it’s stalled by the roots. Even botanical gardens have fallen for this trap. They are sometimes called upside-down orchids.

Stanhopea orchids usually have a complex and fragrant flower that’s short-lived and spectacular. The majority of species are robust plants that grow readily in cultivation.

With most Stanhopea flowers lasting three days or less, the flowers must attract pollinators very quickly. These chemical attractants are generated in the hypochile, attracting the male euglossine bees to the flower. These male euglossine bees are known to be important pollinators of Stanhopea flowers, collecting fragrances at these flowers over their lifetime and storing them in their hind tibia.

Bees in the Euglossini tribe are known to pollinate these flowers supposedly because the orchids can deceptively mimic the form of a female and her sex pheromone. When the bee touches down on the flower, a great effort is made to collect chemical scent. The long column is touched, resulting in the bee taking pollinia at the tip. As the bee slides down another flower, the pollinia land on the sticky stigma.