Giant Orchid
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| Grammatophyllum speciosum Blume, 1825 |
The Giant Orchid, Grammatophyllum speciosum, also called Tiger Orchid, Sugar Cane Orchid or Queen of the Orchids, is the world's largest orchid. It is native to New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia, growing in crotches of large trees on exposed areas of the lowland tropical rainforest.
It is an epiphytic and occasionally a lithophytic plant. Its cylindric pseudobulbs can grow to a length of 2.5 m. It can grow to gigantic clusters weighing from several hundred kilograms to more than one ton ! A Giant Orchid weighing two tons was one of the highlights in the 1851 exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London.
The roots form spectacular bundles.
Each raceme can grow to a height of 3m, bearing up to eighty flowers, each 10 cm wide. The flowers are yellow colored with maroon or dark red spots. These flowers are remarkable, since the lowest flowers have no lip. It blooms only once every two to four years. This orchid can, however, remain in bloom for up to two months.
Because of its enormous size, it is rarely cultivated.
