Seriously, I had a crush on these bamboo orchids since my army days charging up the hills in my uniform and with my rifle.
Then at the university, a classmate's project was on terrestrial (ground) orchids and we visited several wastelands etc to collect information. Surprisingly, this particular orchid species appeared to be able to withstand fires that burnt down other plants and re-sprouted from the hard dried clay soils.
This unlikely love affair carried all the way through to my work. So I deliberately planted them at the crossing from Floral Walk to the Visitor's Centre at HortPark's entrance so that drivers and pedestrians alike can admire their beauty as they enter or leave the park.
As I often tell my colleagues, I am a person who admires a plant for its beauty and am usually not interested in the details e.g. scientific names, if given a choice. So it may come as a surprise to many that I did not realise that I have 2 different forms of the Bamboo Orchid at the planted site.
I read somewhere that the darker pink variety is from the highlands. When coming down Cameron Highlands in Nov 09, I saw many stands of this orchid growing on the hill slopes but did not manage to stop and observe them. But it never occurred to me that they actually look vastly different, as evident from the photos.
It was only as recent as 12 Jan 10 when I took the photos did I discover this. Wow, the pink lips, petal sizes and shapes are not exactly similar in appearance. Between the two, I suppose I prefer the one with the more pronounced pink lip more than the other.
