Eria lobata  by Bruce & Chris Bennett We purchased our plant 6 years ago from Orchids by Olympia (Robert Friend) as E.  floribunda. Gary has since advised that it is in fact E.lobata. We have absolutely  nothing on this species and cannot find any previous reference to it. So until Gary  returns it is a case of the blind leading the blind.  Our plant has been potted in Perlite/Peat, currently the super coarse mix, in a 200mm  pot hanging relatively high under 50% shade plus the white polycarbonate roof of the  shade house. It is a large plant of 4 x approx. 400mm stems which are completely  covered by the leaf bracts, and are from 25mm thick at the base to 15mm at the apex.  There are 14 leaves arranged in pairs on the stem, with a distinct mark near their base  joining the leaf bracts. The leaves drop of at this position leaving the bracts which  then turn brown but remain wrapped around the stem which is never actually visible.  Flowers appear at the apex of stems on 4 or 5 separate inflorescence in a tight bunch  which extends with age, the bottom flowers drop after a few days and more open  above. Each flower has a large, 25x5mm, white bract tipped with a green point, this  bract remains after the flower drops. The small flowers,10-12mm, are single on a  10mm pedicel, sepals and petals white, the column edged both sides in purple, the  labellum is complex, double lobed each side, generally white with green down the  middle, and purple on each side lobe. Quite a beautiful and shapely flower (on a 10  power glass), one which you would never pick on Greg & Gary’s “What Orchid is  That” at our Xmas party. Dendrobium bracteosum  Dendrobium canaliculatum Dendrobium hodgkinsonii Dendrobium ruckeri Dendrobium williamsonii Dimerandra buenaventurae Eria albidotomentosa Eria lobata Galeandra dives Hoffmannseggella fournieri Isabelia pulchella More Articles