Another Masdevallia species featured on our display today is Masdevallia veitchiana. This is one of the bright orange/red orchids we have grouped together as humming bird pollinated species.

This species is endemic to Peru where it grows between 2000m and 4000m as a terrestrial amongst grasses and we are indebted to Henry Oakley for these great photographs of the species on Machu Picchu. This habitat explains the long flower spikes which carry the flowers well clear of the leaves and in reach of pollinating humming birds.

The colour of the flowers is quite extraordinary with the glowing orange ground and iridescent stripes of red or purple. Close inspection reveals that the red areas of the flower are produced by tiny purple hairs that cover the orange sepals. The Incas call the species Wajanki.

We grow the species in baskets in Cool Americas.

In addition to our awards for this weeks display, Issy collected the RHS Orchid Trophy 2018 at a formal ceremony from RHS President, Sir Nicholas Bacon. The award is given annually for the best orchid specimen seen by the RHS Orchid committee and Issy won for her plant of Brassavola tuberculata.

The awards have been distributed and the orchid project has won both top prizes – Best Display and Best Specimen Plant for Dendrobium delicatum.

Today’s team have been fantastic and very, very busy. The lab has been very successful, thousands of people have been asking questions about our plants and our project, and the sales table has been busy all day. Thanks to the adult volunteers for their wonderful effort both to get students to London and for helping on the stand. I am really proud of the whole team.

It is always great to have help at shows from our brilliant ex-students. Horticulturalist Zoe is our ‘second adult’ for this week’s show and Jacob came up from Kent University to help with setup.