The dorsal sepal, petals and lip are very much smaller and this would be an unassuming flower if it were not for the sepals which extend for over 7 in (15 cm). The cirrhopetalums are related to a much larger genus, the bulipphyllurns, and are widely distributed throughout the tropical world.

Of all the wonders in the plant kingdom it was those early importations of orchids which created the greatest stir and caused sensations. Nothing like the large, flamboyant flowers had ever been seen before.

Originally it was the wild species which were cultivated, but within the last 130 years the raising of man-made hybrids has taken priority. Many of the species are in a sorry state, being almost extinct in the wild, as their habitat is being rapidly destroyed, but at the same time greatly sought after in collections, where they have become rare items indeed.

Moreover, being an artificially-produced plant, the resulting hybrids are immediately more vigorous and therefore easier to grow. A further advantage is that those artificially-produced hybrids have grown up in a controlled environment, and unlike the jungle plant it has not had to withstand the rigours of importation and adjusting to unnatural conditions.

The majority of these hybrids in cultivation have been bred from the epiphytes. These plants retain the unique features of pseudobulbs, leaves and roots. It will be seen that there is no typical orchid flower or plant. All are vastly different.

Epiphytes are true ‘air plants’; they thrive by using the host tree as an anchorage and as a means of getting closer to the light which filters through the forest canopy, but take nothing from the tree for their existence. Instead, they use their long aerial root systems to extract the moisture from the atmosphere which is then stored in their pseudobulbs. Some are known as saprophytes, living on dead or fallen trees, whereas others make their home on rocks and outcrops as lithophytes.