Picture1 – Plant
I came across Orchid Acampe Praemorsa while touring the coastal regions of Karnataka and Goa. Different species of Acampe is distributed in tropical India, Africa and South East Asia. Acampe means “inflexible” in Greek.
Picture2 – Buds
The plant is hardy with thick leaves and the flowers bloom in clumps. The flowers are off white to yellow, small around 1 cm in diameter with maroon stripes. The aerial roots take the support of the host tree and grow into gigantic and dramatic plants. The lip is white and fringed with pink spots on the edges.
Picture3 – Acampe Orchid
Acampe Praemorsa is native to India and Srilanka. Blooming time starts from March and continues till July, but might bloom sporadically throughout the year.
Picture4 – Bloom
As I collected a plant from a tree in my husband’s grandmother’s backyard in Padubidiri, she pointed out that the leaves of the plant is crushed and mixed with pickle as a preservative! The plant has bloomed many times in my garden and this orchid is a collector’s delight and not impressive to a commercial orchid grower.
