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Catalog Data

Life Form:
Lithophytic
Bloom Characteristics:
Erect to arching inflorescence is 15-18" (38-46 cm) long with 1-4 (and rarely 6) white, waxy, star-shaped flowers. Flowers are 6-8" (15-20 cm) across, long-lasting, and can be as long as 18" (46 cm) to the base of its nectar spur. It is the largest angraecoid orchid. The flowers are greenish when they first open, but turn white after 2-3 days.
Fragrance:
Jasmine scented at night
Plant Size:
18-36" x 24-40" (46-91 x 61-102 cm), excluding inflorescence
Range:
E to SE Madagascar
Habitat:
Near the edge of coastal woods with heavy rainfall and no dry season; 0-330ft (0-100m)
Description:
Some orchids contain mysteries. Angraecum sesquipedale is an orchid with an unusual adaptation – a long hollow spur which holds nectar that only a moth with a very long, straw-like tongue, or proboscis, can gather. In 1862, when none other than Charles Darwin first examined this orchid, no such moth was known to exist. Darwin predicted that if an orchid with a 12-inch-long nectar spur existed, then there must be a moth with a 12 inch tongue. Darwin was laughed at until 1903, when such a moth was discovered. The orchid became known as Darwin’s Orchid.
Bloom Time (Northern Hemisphere):
November to May
Pollination Syndrome:
Moth (hawkmoth, Xanthopan morganii var. praedicta)
Provenance:
From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
Topic:
Orchids  Search this
Living Collections  Search this
Common Name:
Christmas Orchid
Comet Orchid
Darwin's Orchid
The One and a Half Foot Long Angraecum
Group:
[vascular plants]
Class:
Equisetopsida
Subclass:
Magnoliidae
Superorder:
Lilianae
Order:
Asparagales
Family:
Orchidaceae
Subfamily:
Epidendroideae
Genus:
Angraecum
Species:
sesquipedale
Accession Number:
2012-0581A
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection
Data Source:
Smithsonian Gardens
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ax7b3445571-a81f-4f52-8b5e-fa5aeba25e86
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:ofeo-sg_2012-0581A