2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Beautiful Dracula (lat. Dracula bella) - a unique creation of tropical nature from the genus Dracula (Latin Dracula) of the Orchid family (Latin Orchidaceae). Funny faces of miniature dragons hang on relatively long thin peduncles, "guarding" a rosette of green leaves, towering like a castle of a fabulous master. The plant is endemic to the rainforests of Colombia and Ecuador, but, when creating favorable conditions for the life of the orchid, it grows well in indoor conditions, entertaining its owners with unique sly flower faces. The flowers of this species are relatively more modest than the flowers of other types of orchids of the Dracula genus, depicting faces that are less similar to funny monkeys or frightening monsters. Moreover, the color of their petals is bright and spotty.
What's in your name
Although the Latin name of the genus "Dracula" is translated by the word "dragon", that is, in the masculine word, in Russian it sounds like a feminine word - Dracula.
That is why the specific epithet "bella" in the Russian version is also feminine, and therefore means "beautiful". So it turns out in the end - Dracula is beautiful. Apparently, with the help of such a specific epithet, the botanist singled out this species of the genus, opposing it to other species, in which the flowers have a more "monkey" look, slyly looking at the world around them.
Description
"Beautiful Dracula" is a typical representative of epiphytic plants with thick aerial roots that extract nutrients and moisture for plant life from the surrounding air. Botanists have found the plant in the dense and humid rainforests of Colombia and Ecuador, stretching from 1,700 to 2,000 meters above sea level. Due to such a place of residence, the beautiful Dracula does not like direct sunlight, hiding in the shade of tropical trees, but loves the high humidity of the ambient air and lower temperatures than other types of orchids that have chosen lower altitudes for their life. Such features of the living conditions of "Beautiful Dracula" should be taken into account when growing it as a houseplant. Some fans of this plant place it in the bathroom, arranging for it the necessary lighting, or place a container with "Beautiful Dracula" on the side of the terrarium, thereby providing the orchid with additional moisture.
"Beautiful Dracula" does not form bulbs, traditional for many types of orchids, but stores moisture and nutrients in its thin, long leaves, forming a root rosette. Each sheet in its lower part is protected by a loose shell. Straight from the base of the plant, peduncle stems descend with one miniature flower at the end.
The appearance of flowers of the epiphytic orchid "Beautiful Dracula" is not as "monkey" as in many other species of orchids of this genus. The flowers are triangular. On the white "face" of the flower there are dense dark burgundy spots. The shape of the petal, called the "lip" in orchids, is compared by some admirers of Dracula to the shape of a mushroom.
Like other species of the genus Dracula, the flowers of the described species are equipped with three sepals connected at the base of the flower to each other in such a way that together they form a kind of bowl with fleecy tentacles sticking out of the tips of these sepals.
Flowering occurs in autumn and lasts a long period. Each flower lives up to two or more weeks. Since flowers emerge from the bottom of the plant, an open pot or basket should be chosen for the orchid to allow the flowers to appear.
The crown of the growing season is small, numerous spindle-shaped seeds.
Natural miracle
People who have seen plants of the Dracula genus at least once become their admirers forever, never ceasing to be surprised and admire their natural uniqueness and beauty.
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