Revered by avid orchid collectors for its delightful, star-shaped flowers, Huntleya is a small group of orchids found mostly on the floor of the cloud forest. Besides their striking colors-from deep blue to waxy red, royal purple to almost black-flowers of this group are known for their distinctive shapes, patterns, and textures. As appealing as these lovely tropical orchids are, their identification has been confused since the first species was described in the mid-1800s. Recent DNA studies have led to a clearer understanding of relationships and, as a result of this clarity, it is now possible to sort out the taxonomic problems and identify the characteristics that set species apart. In this first book devoted to the Huntleya alliance, author Patricia Harding presents evidence from the scientific literature, other growers, and her own experience that will enable orchidists everywhere to identify their plants and grow them successfully.

Related Silk Orchid Items:

• Wild Orchids of Texas (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
• Orchids: A Care Manual
• Orchids for Every Home
• 100 Orchids for Florida
• The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Illustrated Dictionary of Orchid Genera (Comstock Book)

2 Responses to “Huntleyas and Related Orchids”

1. Philip Shin says:

   September 15, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Overall, this is a fairly good book to own if you’re into the pseudobulbless Zygopetalinae such as Kefersteinia, Pescatorea, and Bollea.

   There is a section with color photos of these orchids growing in cultivation. Most of the photos focuses on the flower itself rather than the plant and their growth habits.

   There is a short 2 1/2 page section about how to cultivate them. The author unfortunately doesn’t go much into detail about how to cultivate the plants.

   Most of the book is dedicated to their taxonomic identification, with a brief overview of each genus at the beginning of each section. Following the species description, there is a brief mentioning of the locality in which the orchid can be found (country, sometimes province, and elevation are included).

   While the above mentioned is very helpful and somewhat entertaining, I felt that it offers exactly what the item description says and not much more.

   If you’re looking for a book on how to cultivate these plants, it can help, but you’d still have to do a lot of research on your own. At least with this book, you have a good starting point and guide.

   There are no photos of this group of orchids growing in the wild. To me this was disappointing, but I still value this book. It is definitely better than nothing and much better than wandering aimlessly on the web for info on this group of plants.
2. Jamie V. says:

   November 26, 2008 at 12:00 am

   Books on such specialist subjects as orchid families are all to few and maintaining quality is often not easy, due to budget restrictions. This book, however, beautifully fills the gap and sets the groundwork for the family to which Huntleya belongs.

   I would have liked to see more cultural and habitat information, as well as a chapter on hybridizing work currently being done.