Prosthechea Cochleata (Clamshell or Octopus Orchid)
Orchids

Orchid of the Week: Prosthechea Cochleata (Clamshell or Octopus Orchid)

Prosthechea cochleata, formerly known as Encyclia cochleataAnacheilium cochleatum, and Epidendrum cochleatum and commonly referred to as the clamshell orchid or cockleshell orchid, is an epiphyticsympodial New World orchid native to Central America, the West IndiesColombiaVenezuela, and southern Florida.

Wikipedia

We added this orchid to our collection last Spring when we found it at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City. What caught our eye was the shape of the blooms, resembling an octopus because of its dangling petals and sepals.