Looking back it seems that I always photograph this lovely orchid at in the dark! This small cybidium is spoiling us this year with three spikes.

As the photos below show, daylight lets the flowers show off their golden hues and the beautiful red spotting around the lip.

Cymbidium cochleare is a species we have seen in Sikkim and in the wild or cultivation it is instantly recognisable from its very thin pendulous flower spikes with glossy pendulous flowers that smell of jasmine. We found the species growing abundantly in the Fambong Lho reserve near Gangtok (see our group with staff and students of Takse School below)

The plant is a delicate cymbidium with fine dark green leaves and this species really needs to be in a basket to allow for the flower habit.

The species is found across the eastern Himalayas from Sikkim to Thailand and inhabits cool wet monsoon forests. We water the plant well to avoid drying in the summer especially as it is in a basket and give a winter minimum of 10C that replicates the very wet, cool forests of Fambong Lho.