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Except for the two dated small cluster photos, all pictures on this  page are linked to their larger version. The background for this page was created from scanned scented Pelargonium leaves

Stanhopea wardii

This plant was picked up several years ago (from  Orchid Art) tagged as Stanhopea grandiflora                                                                                    It is most definitely not grandiflora, but probably  Stanhopea wardii.   "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids" describes 17 species of Stanhopeas, wardii is a good match.   Also, www.orchidspecies.com  mentions the strong pleasing scent.  This Stanhopea emits a very strong fragrance, noticeable already the night before the buds open up. This plant is a very pleasing  bloomer, flowering during the fall  season and in the spring, producing 2 to 3 spikes in succession both times. It spends the summer months (about May 15. to September 15. - location NJ)  hanging in our Dogwood tree,  protected from the hot noontime sun. During the indoor season it is hanging in our sunroom  in an east window. It gets watered every day  and receives frequently dilute fertilizer. (over the bath tub indoors) Since 2001 it spends the indoor season in a shaded  spot underneath a large Cattleya basket.

tracking the progress of a new cluster:

November 2.1999  8 a.m. See the split on the bottom of each bud?? Today is the day!!! I am getting comfortable in front of the flower cluster with my  Kodak DC 265, watching the incredible process of each bud slowly opening.  The whole plant moves with each audible pop at the beginning stages and the scent is really filling up the whole house.

each photo is showing a different stage in the  opening of the individual  flowers  - lifting, folding and flipping  petals and sepals  - showing the detailed lip and long column. I really like the way the little petals  fold over in back.

the procedure is truly amazing

almost open

and here is the final stage -   Two fascinating hours later, looking like a swarm of large insects, each measuring  ca. 4-5 inches, buzzing in formation.

and, if you look carefully at some of the photos, the next spike is waiting in the wings...

November 14.1999 The next cluster matured slightly faster, again 8 perfect flowers opened up in a nice formation, but this time the individual  flowers are slightly smaller. And spike Nr. 3 is starting to worm its way through the side of the basket. I had to break one of the wooden slats to give it sufficient room.