The island of Porto Santo has been honoured through the official registration of a hybrid orchid. The ‘Cattlianthe Praia do Porto Santo’ results from the crossing of Cattleya crispata and Guarianthe x laelioides, being a botanical tribute to the golden island.
“The new hybrid species, one of which is originally from Brazil and the other from Mesoamerica, now bears the name and beauty of the island of Porto Santo,” explained Pedro Spínola, who is responsible for the registration of the new orchid, which took place on he 19th of March.
In a statement, Pedro Spínola says that the new orchid is distinguished by having a long stem that ends in a bouquet of yellow flowers, with a lip painted with small “grains” of golden and reddish sand. “It is with this beautiful plant that Porto Santo island sees its name immortalised within the orchid.”
This is the third-to-last municipality to be registered in the individual project of the orchid enthusiast, which will be completed with the registrations of Porto Moniz and Machico. “It is effectively a beautiful project and projected into the future, but time-consuming, difficult, and costly as there is no governmental support for this project,” he lamented. He hopes that every parish will have an orchid named after it.
Despite the challenges, the project has been widely cherished, he assures. “The appreciation of our botanical heritage has never been so great or so felt by those who carry the island of flowers in their gardens and their hearts,” he concluded.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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