- Title: Galeandra Devoniana
- Author: Walter Hood Fitch
- Date: c.1865
- Condition: Excellent - light foxing
- Inches: 11 1/2 x 16 1/4 [Image]
- Centimeters: 29.21 x 41.27 [Image]
- Product ID: 308436
Galeandra Devoniana is a striking epiphytic orchid native to the humid, lowland forests of northern South America, particularly Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela. It typically inhabits trees along rivers at elevations between 50 and 200 meters, thriving in hot, tropical conditions. This species is recognized for its tall, slender, spindle-shaped pseudobulbs, which can reach heights of 40 to 180 centimeters and are often partially sheathed at the base. Each pseudobulb produces several bright green, lance-shaped leaves that are pleated and arranged in two vertical rows, giving the plant a lush, elegant appearance.
Background on Creator
Walter Hood Fitch (1817-1892) was born in Glasgow, Scotland. From a young age, he demonstrated artistic talent and began formal training as a pattern drawer at a textile mill by the age of 13. This early apprenticeship, which involved creating intricate designs for calico fabric and mastering the complex process of engraving and color matching, laid the technical foundation for his later work as a botanical illustrator.
Fitch’s career in botanical art began after a pivotal meeting with William Jackson Hooker, the Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University and editor of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine. Impressed by Fitch’s skill and attention to detail, Hooker bought him out of his apprenticeship and employed him to produce botanical illustrations for the magazine. Fitch’s first published lithograph, of Mimulus roseus, appeared in 1834.