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Marc Hachadourian

@orchidmarc

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Horticulturist/Curator/Author
Professional Plantsman and author of *Orchid Modern*

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It comes as no surprise to those who know me that I like my orchids on the weird side. Australia's orchid flora includes some strangely beautiful terrestrial orchids, including what are commonly called greenhoods (Pterostylis), with their distinctive green-and-white hooded flowers. If their alien appearance was not enough to catch my interest, they also have a strange pollination mechanism where they lure in small fungus gnats, and when they climb down into the flower, the sensitive tongue-like lip snaps upward, temporarily trapping the gnat and forcing it to crawl through a narrow exit to aid in pollination of the bloom. The tiny "men from Mars" flower of Pterostylis laxa is just another fascinating example of the diversity found in my favorite family of plants. #botany #horticulture #orchidsofinstagram #orchids #pterostylis by @orchidmarc

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a month ago

A long time faveorite for amazing suoer saturated color flowers. Commonly called blue ginger this Dichorisandra thyrsiflora is not a ginger at all. Instead it is a member of the spiderwort family (Commelinaceae) which includes many popular house and garden plants. #nybg #horticulture #commelinaceae #trandescantia #purple #tropicalplants #dichorisandra by @orchidmarc

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a year ago

by @orchidmarc

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a year ago

Australia is home to some incredible biodiversity, including a unique suite of waterlily species. Many of these Australian lilies have become horticultural "holy grails" for enthusiasts around the world. One of the most coveted is Nymphaea 'Jealous-1' with incredibly saturated satin blue-violet blooms. Originating from chance seedlings in a collection in Venezuela, it has been shared around the world and remains one of the most beautiful cultivars of all. I was lucky enough to acquire a plant from a fellow enthusiast and was thrilled that it produced even a couple of blooms before the end of the season here. #botany #horticulture #nymphaea #internationalwatergardensociety #flowers #flowersofınstagram #waterlily by @orchidmarc

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a year ago

Cycnoches are a genus of orchids from Central and South America called swan orchids for the graceful "swan neck" column of the male flowers. Unlike many other orchids, they produce separate male and female flowers. Many are strongly fragrant and attract metallic colored orchid bees as their pollinators. This Peruvian species Cycnoches cooperi has a fragrance that to my nose is equal parts floral, chocolate, and root beer. Very pleased with this young blooming plant and am excited to see it develop in the future. #botany #horticulture #cycnoches #catasetum #orchidsofinstagram #americanorchidsociety #orchids #perú #flowers #fragrancelover by @orchidmarc

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a year ago

Found around the world, water snowflakes (Nymphoides sp.) are not related at all to the water lilies they resemble. They constantly produce delicate, often fringed flowers just above the waters surface. Delightful and always in bloom, they have always been favorites. #botany ##horticulture #nybg #iwgs #nymphoides #aquaticplants #waterlilies #watergarden by @orchidmarc

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a year ago

Gardening and working with plants has taught me many things, including patience. In March of 2022, I finally was able to acquire a few seeds of this uncommon bulb from a friend after searching for years . This flower surprised me in the greenhouse today after three years of waiting. Zephryanthes rubra (syn.Habranthus ruber)- native to Southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul). This is an outlier in the genus having tomato red blooms with the rest having mostly pink flowers. In a modern world full of immediate gratification, there is still joy to be found in waiting for things to happen. #botany #horticulture #rareplants #growingfromseed #pacificbulbsociety #habranthus #amaryllidaceae #flowersofinstagram #brazil #brazilplants by @orchidmarc

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a year ago

Opened the door to the greenhouse last night and was overwhelmed by the fragrance of something that was blooming. While I didn't see the buds, there was no way I could miss the blooms of this Epidendrum parkinsonianum. Native from Mexico and Central America, the large blooms are over 4" (10 cm) and intensely fragrant of jasmine after dark. It brings memories seeing plants of this species dripping from branches of trees in Panama, but more importantly, great memoreis of the friend who acquired the plant from. :) #botany #horticulture #epidendrum #americanorchidsociety #orchidsofinstagram ##flowersofinstagram #rareplants #fragrantorchids #Mexico #Panama #fincadracula by @orchidmarc

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2 years ago

Not all cacti live in deserts. There are many species that live alongside orchids, bromeliads, and ferns in humid rainforests. I dont grow many arid species (they have anger issues) but grow an increasing number of epiphytic ones. I am really loving the miniature Rhipsalodopsis rosea blooming in the greenhouse right now. This species native to Brazil is an adorable cousin to the familiar Christmas cactus. #botany #horticulture #cactuslover #cacti #rhipsalis #epiphytes #flowersofinstagram by @orchidmarc

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2 years ago

Island biogeography is one of the areas of plant biology that has always fascinated me. Like Darwin’s finches from the Galapagos, islands often hold evidence of divergence and adaptation, with plants evolving into oddities thousands of miles away from their nearest relatives.

Canarina canariensis is endemic to the Canary Islands (say that a few times fast), with its nearest relatives found thousands of miles away in Eastern Africa. Separated by a continent, this type of disjunct distribution is not unique in the botanical world but always begs the question : How did it get there?
Some believe it was separated as continents moved, and barriers such as deserts and distance isolated the plants, allowing them to evolve further. Others think that migrating birds could have helped establish plants on the islands where they later adapted. Whatever the answer, it is just one of the innumerable questions that motivates scientists to study the natural world.

To me, understanding how plants and ecosystems have changed throughout evolutionary history is the closest thing I can think of to having a botanical time machine.

(special thanks to my colleague and horticultural friends for helping us add this to our collections)

#botany #horticulture
#canaryislands
#rareplants #biogeography #evolution #nybg #flowersofinstagram #canarina #canarias by @orchidmarc

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2 years ago

Descriptions of carnivorous plants often focus on a sinister narrative about how they have evolved to capture and digest their prey. In fact, despite the lore surrounding them, many could be described as beautiful. In the tropics of the Americas is a group of these remarkable plants with brightly colored snapdragon-like flowers. This hybrid of Utricularia (asplundii x campbelliana) is far more pretty than threatening, with large flowers floating on wiry stems above a tiny plant. These species are mainly epiphytic in nature, their tiny traps hidden among the mosses in the cool cloud forests where they grow.

(The genus Utricularia is commonly known as bladderworts because its minute balloon-like suction traps rapidly expand when triggered, vacuuming its prey inside in movements that happen in 1/10th of a second. It is easily the fastest trapping mechanism of any carnivorous plant - 100x faster than a Venus flytrap)

#botany #horticulture #carnivorousplantsofinstagram #icps #Utricularia #carnivorousplants #littleshopofhorrors #flowersofinstagram #rareplants #epiphytes #terrariumplants by @orchidmarc

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2 years ago

Lycaste skinneri 'Alba' - La Monja Blanca - the national flower of Guatemala, blooming in the home collection. Native Central America from Southern Mexico to Nicaragua it has long been considered one of the most beautiful of all orchids, and it's easy to see why. #botany #horticulture #americanorchidsociety #Guatemala #mexico #orquideas #lycaste #lycasteskinneri #orchidsofinstagram #flowers #flowersofinstagram by @orchidmarc

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2 years ago