Estepona Orchidarium Tour
Station 1 -Cattleya Alliance
Both sides of this parterre are Cattleya Alliance. This is a name for a group of orchids that includes nearly 40 different genus, all of them from America, such as Cattleya, Laelia, Sophronitis, Encyclia, Epidendrum. Guarianthe, Caularthron Broughtonia, Brassavola, etc. All of them and many more are present in the Estepona's Orchidarium. Their flowering takes place all along the year, depending on the different species.
Mostly, they are lovers of light and well aerated roots which need to be dry between waterings to avoid getting rot. They can put up with relatively high summer temperatures (between 30 and 40°C) and a more o less intense light, although it is always convenient to place over it a mess shaded area during summer months.
The most of these orchids have cylindrical leaf (terete-lea- ves) that remind us of succulent plants. Effectively, it is a kind of adaptation to extreme conditions, using these leaves like water and nutrients reservoirs. Others have developed hard leaves, semi-rigid and with pale colour to reflect better the sunlight.
The cattleyas' roots are thick and Strong, covered with a dead cell layer that gives them a very characteristic white colour when it dries out, but they turn green when they are wet. You can see how much the root yolk is stuck to the trunk where it lives, so much that makes it impossible to remove the plant from the tree without damaging the roots.
The cattleyas are known as “the queen of orchids” and it is not in vain. Some of their species and hybrids have huge flowers, even wider than the palm of a hand, with exube- rant colours and exotic curls in the lower petal lip -known as labellum- that remind us of the curl of a Spanish gypsy dress.
Station 2 - Tropical Orchid Collection
This parterre comprises a great collection of hot species but they require the same high humidity levels. They come from the whole tropical belt of our planet: South America, Mada- gascar & Central Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania (Austra- lia, New Guinea and nearby islands). The genus Angraecun,Aerangis, Dendrobium, Gongora, Oncidium, Cattleya, Maxillaria and Bulbophyllum have different representatives here. These are more fussy orchids but not unusual among orchid lovers. It is of standing up in the ground, as a terrestrials, the several specimens of Sombralia fimbriata, whose flowers are so beautiful -certainly extraordinary- like ephemeral. They are known as the “One-day flower” though it only remains open for twelve hours.
In some of the branches you can see several examples of Andgrecum sesquipedale, known as the “Christmas Star” because of the shape of its flowers, white and very fragrant — only perceptible at night-. Its flowers have a tube -“spur” or “nectarium- that can reach up to 30cm length, where nectar is produced for an specific specie of night sphynx.
Station 3 - Sun-Exposed Cattleya Alliance
Again another area for the Cattleya Alliance. In this area, especially exposed to the sun, we can find a great number (10) of Myrmecophila tibicinis specimens, an orchid that creates a symbiotic relationship with ants, as well as other species coming from South America and the Antilles (genus like Schomburgkia, Cattleva, Laelia, Encyclia, Brassavola and Epidendrum -among others-) All of them with pseudobulbs and thick and rigid leaves that work as nutrients and water reservoirs. There are other light lovers species coming from Southeast Asia (Dendrobium, Vanda and Dockrillia), South America (Trichocentrum and Tolumnia) and Africa (Cymbidiella).
Station 4 - Rock-Growing Orchids (Lithophytes)
Not all the orchids are epiphytes (i.e. they live on trees). Many of them are terrestrial species, like our Iberian ones, but rupicolous or lithophytes habits, that is to say living on rocks. In this rockery you can see an orchid collection Hoffmanseggella (Laelia) genus, natives from Minas Gerais (Brasil) where they live exposed to very extreme climate conditions, with summery temperatures higher than 40°C. They are unusual orchids with very thick and leathery leaves, all of them of small size: it is a common adaptation to avoid water loss due to the heat. In its environment, they live from detritus and water which is stored within the rock interstices.
Station 7 - Bulbophyllum and Gongora
This area tries to reproduce the conditions where the asians and africans Bulbophyllum live, as well as the Gongora, a south american genus (and a very spanish name) that likes the shade and humidity. Depending on he species, the Gongora flowers exhale citrus fragances, sansalwood, eau de cologne, etc. It shapes remind us a Stanhopea (in fact they belong to the same sub-tribe, Stanhopeidae) but they are more elegante, looking like small flying dragons. The genus Bulbophyllum is the widest and more complex of all the Orquidaceae, with about 2000 species, very different in shape and habits, and they are specialists in the art of tricking in order to attract pollinators Little by used by other orchids: flies. This is the reason why they have such peculiar smell -not very likeable to our pituitary- also adopting very original and eccentric shapes.
Station 8 - Cloud Forest and Pleurothallidinae Orchids
The orchidarium’s lower part offers very different conditions: the waterfalls keep a more humid and fresh atmosphere and a sieved light. Here we try to reproduce the Andean foothill and cloudy forest, as well as the original ambience found in Southeastern Asia subtropical forests. The most of species proceed from species proceed from the Pleurothallidinae subtribe -proceeding from south America- and the subfa- mily Cypripedioideae —with presence both in America as in Europe and Asia-. But there are also beautiful samples of the genus Maxillaria, Oncidium and Coe- logyne.
The pool is divided in two parts. One part is to cleanse water coming from the cascades, and the other one is to supply the water with the necessary elements and conditions to give life to fish and plants. Among the pond plants we would like to stand out the lotus (Nelumbo sp.), water lillies (Nymphea sp.), papyrus (Cyperus papyrus), arum lilies (Zantesdeschia aethiopica) and irises (Iris sp).
Station 9 - Vertical Orchid Gardens
Vertical gardens in Esteponas' Orchidarium are an original attraction to the visitors but also a laboratory test for our Botanical Department. Many species are shown not only on their own pockets with substrate-like -as usual- but also directly over the sheet’s surface, inviting the plant to a habit between epiphyte and lithophyte (i.e. living on trees and rocks, respectively). This permanent humid cover looks like a layer of mosses and detritus needed by plants to establish correctly.
It stands out the great collection of Bulbophyllum (the most extensive genus within orchids) that grows completely adhered to the surface, and equally stands out the hybrids of Phalaenopsis, firstly planted in pockets but finally managed to get out of the growing area, spreading a strong set of roots that have allowed the mother-plant to generate other basal plants.
Alternated along the vertical gardens we can see several species of Nepenthes, a genus of carnivore plants very characteristic because of its pitchers grown at the end of its leaves: they turn into vibrant colours when they reach adulthood. Before arriving to the first waterfall we can find a group of Dendrobium “Berry Oda”, a peculiar orchid because of its beautiful purple flowers and vanilla fragrance. And down bellow, the vertical gardens are covered by Promenaea xanthina and its hundred yellow flowers.
Station 10 - Dracula Orchids
The word Dracula means “little female dragon”- yes, in female form- because its reminiscence to a dragon's mouth. It belongs to the Pleuwrothallidinae Subtribe, which is extended all along Central America and Antilleans Islands, ant to the Northern half of South America. These are orchids more or less known because of the aspect of their flowers; sometimes they look like the face of a monkey. But in fact it is a misleading orchid as the supposed “nose” in the monkey’s face is an ‘mitation of the shape, colour and smell of a fungus, attracting its pollinators by this way -small flies- which truly believe to see a food source. These orchids like deep shade and very high humidity and are able to tolerate very diverse temperatures depending on the specie.and its habitat.
Station 11 - Paphiopedilum – Slipper Orchids
Estepona's Orchidarium offers different areas where more than 50 different species of Paphiopedilum are kept, and we provide a rockery for calcicolous species. This genus is especially popular, with millions of fans rendered to its brightness, colours and shapes found at the labellum and at the side petals and dorsal sepal. It is commonly known as “slippers Orchids” because of the shape of the labellum.
Station 12 - Miniature Orchids
We understand for a ‘miniature orchid’ all those orchids not taller than 15cm. Some of them are so small -not taller than 5cm- than they come into the mini-miniature category. Don't be mistaken. They are not bonsais. Its size is not forced by the conditions of the growing. They are simply like that.It is remarkable the community of Miniature Orchids lovers all over thd world and, if the sizes of this 'girls' can be obviusly dissuasive, they just display a beauty in couple of centimeters both delicate as perfect and captivating (only for loving eyes, it is said by their fans).
Since there are many genus including miniatures, a wide variety of species can be admire here beloging to the well known Masevallia, Dracula, Stelis, Lepanthes, Pleurothallis, Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum, Phalaenopsis, Aerangis, Barbosella, Chioschista, Sygmatostalix, Eptdendrum, Mediocalcar, Neofinetia, Oncidium, Ornithocephalus, among others.
So it also could be expected from them some flowers in consonance with the plant and, indeed, often measuring jugt a few millimeters; but there are many species that grow a surprisingly large flowers compared with the tiny rest of the plant.
Their habits are similar toktheir bigger sisters, but because of its size they are more sensitive to dessication, water and termal stress, and plagues.
Station 14 - Orchidarium Pond and Aquatic Plants
The visitor can appreciate the different color between the water from the waterfall and from the pond itself. Indeed, the water of the pond gets a special treatment to make it suitable for aquatic flora and fauna. With a surface near of 30m2, the pond welcomes a dozen of different species of plants among which is included a small collection of water lilies in its most gene- ric sense of the term. Euryale ferox is a standing out specie because its leaves can reach 1,5 mts in diameter, with fine ribs on the underside -of a deep purple and plagued with thorns- reminis- cent of Euryale's hair, one of the three Gorgons.
In the water we see a group of koi fish, a domestic ornamental variety of the common carp that can reach 80cm in length.
Epiphytic Plants and Tillandsias
There is a net of vines over our heads on which epyphytic cactus and tillandsias live as normal. The epiphytic cactus can be found in subtropical climates, with surprising mutations to climb and adhere themselves to the trees that they colonize. The most common genus are Epiphyllum, Rhypsalis, Selenicereus, Dysocactus and Aeschynanthus, with beautiful colored flowers ranged from intense red colours to snowy white, depending on the specie. But nevertheless, the taillandsias try by all means to stick to the trees, sometimes by the simple balance of the plant, so not always they develop roots. They get the nourishment from the detritus hauled by the wind and they need no more water than that one found in the air. In arid climates, water particles are collected by the plant's tiny villi. The tillandsias are characterized by a progressive change of colour when flowering season comes, going from green to pink shades, purple or even vibrant red. like Tillandsia brachycaulos. Many species offer us a delightfull display of contrasting blooms, where purple colours, white and yellow are mixed with incredible beauty.
Stanhopea Orchids
The orchids planted here have the most complex and strange flowers of all the orchids: we are referring to the genus Stanhopea. Its flowers grow downwards, so that is easier to appreciate them if we keep a position below. They are marKedly distinguished from other flowers by their curvy and very differenciated parts wich make them looking like winged or horny creatures. But actually such developed structures work in order to lead the pollinator insect towards the key points (both to collect pollen masses as to leave them in the stigmatic cavity -the flower's female organ-). Altough its extraordinary beauty, the duration of this flowers is brief, barely two days. This also reflects the enormous effort of the plant to attract their pollinators, as stanhopeas fragrances are very intense and can be detected from many kilometers away. Stanhopea nigroviolacea is particulary showy (the Orchida- rium owns six of them) with colours that range from ivory to maroon, even bigger than an open hand and gives off a very intense vanilla scent.
