Coelogyne eberhardtii is a large-flowered, tough plant. The flowers are held up nicely on strong spikes, have a faintly musty perfume and are very attractive. Some plants have a small patch of bright red at the base of the lip, adding even more attraction. The flowers take quite a while to develop and the plant will tend to flower over a long period as each spike matures.

The plant is admired for its individual flowers rather than providing a mass display. Each flower is certainly pretty and a close up inspection is very satisfying. If, however, you like showy mass displays of colour then this one won't do it for you - even as a large specimen plant.

The flowers are very similar to the more well-known and more available Coelogyne lawrenceana but they may be slightly smaller. Nevertheless, this is a very highly desirable orchid.

Growing Suggestions: This plant needs protection from frosts. Despite its tropical background, it survives Canberra's Winter in one of my unheated but well insulated glasshouses and still produces flowers in Spring.

Negatives: Not as commercially available as Coel lawrenceana.

Rating: ♦♦♦♦ It is surprising that this Coelogyne is not grown more widely. It should be - especially examples with a red throat.

Varieties: None known. Many plants (including mine) have their name tag misspelled with an extra letter 'e' as the second letter.

Hybrids:

1. Coelogyne Kirribilli Hubert Dixon (Kevin Dawes 2016) using Coelogyne Memoria Wilhelm Micholitz as the pod parent.

2. Coelogyne Kirribilli Anne Dixon (Kevin Dawes 2016) using Coelogyne usitana as the pollen parent.

3. Coelogyne Kirribilli Gladys Davies (Kevin Dawes 2017) using Coelogyne speciosa "Green" as the pollen parent.

4. Coelogyne Kirribilli Hubert Dixon (Kevin Dawes 2016) using hybrid Coelogyne Memoria Wilhelm Micholitz.

< Coel cumingii

Coel fimbriata >