Sobralia Mirabilis

The species name mirabilis derives from the Latin word meaning marvellous or wonderful; i.e., Annus mirabilis-- "year of wonders."
This secondary hybrid was registered with the Royal Horticultural Society in 1903. The Sobralia Veitchii parent is a hybrid cross of (macrantha x xantholeuca), registered in 1894.

There seem to be quite a number of plants in cultivation and offered for sale that resemble this hybrid.

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Photo at left from Santa Barbara Orchid Estate

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Photo below of Sobralia Mirabilis 'Smokey' used with permission of Loren Batchman, Casa de las Orquideas, Solana Beach, CA.

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The Batchman's use the same potting mix for the sobralias as for their cymbidiums and grow them under the same conditions as cymbidiums and zygopetalums. "They survived 9 consecutive nights below freezing at our nursery this year [2002], and 3 nights below 29 degrees with the sprinklers turned on to keep everything from freezing."

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Visit the Sobralia Hybrids Page.

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Sobralia Mirabilis #53 at Santa Barbara Orchid Estate. Described as a "rich pink," plants were blooming at about 2-1/2 feet tall.

Photo by Cynthia (Prescott, Arizona) of Sobralia Mirabilis blooming at Santa Barbara Orchid Estate in July 2004 [1/200s f/8.0 at 50.0mm iso100].