As I said earlier in the week we have lots of Odontoglossums coming into flower and this is possibly my favourite of the crop. This is a reliable late autumn flowering species, and as we pointed out last year, the branched starry flower spike would actually make a great Christmas tree!

Odontoglossum manuelaraisii is another of the species traditionally included in the genus Odontoglossum but now moved to Oncidium following genetic analysis. The species is endemic to Peru where it grows in cool forests at around 2600m. The species is fairly recently described and can also be found under the name Odontoglossum ariasii. The species is notable for its long upright flower spikes which produce branches towards the base and so deliver an impressive amount of flower. The flowers are really long lasting and will be with us well into the spring.

We look forward to growing this plant into a specimen and seeing what it can do when really grown well. It is at home in our Cool Americas section and kept moist all year.