Blooming now (2009-08-09)

I just bloomed for the first time a Stanhopea species which I have been growing for about three years. Since it was labeled as only a species, I was very curious what it actually was going to be. I suspected it might be Stanhopea wardii, which has bright yellow bird-like flowers with a big dark spot on either side of the flower, like eyes.

When the flower finally opened today, I realized that it probably is not wardii. Instead, I believe it is Stanhopea jenishiana, which looks similar to wardii, but the eye-like spot is smaller. A search on the internet reveals several photos that look similar to the flower below.

I'm posting the jenishiana as well as the wardii (from last year) for you to compare.

Stanhopea jenishiana

Stanhopea wardii 'Twin Falls' CCM/AOS