Welcome today’s change of seasons with the Tiger Orchid, the biggest orchid in the world! Dave and I spotted this jumbo beauty during our recent visit to Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu. This was the first time we’ve ever seen one in bloom. The Tiger Orchid’s Latin name, Grammatophyllum speciosum, seems to fit this large plant.

These giants are native to rainforests from Thailand and Myanmar through Southeast Asia to Malaysia, Singapore, New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Believe it or not, they’re air plants, although they can grow larger than a ton. This specimen at Foster wasn’t a ton, but we estimated it was about 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, 8 feet (2.4 m) across, and very heavy. It held hundreds of flowers, each about 4 inches (10 cm.)

Grammatophyllums are Cymbidium relatives. They need warm temps, lots of full sun, and regular water. In Hawaii, we’ve seen them growing in large, specially constructed, wooden baskets. Sometimes they’re set on elevated platforms made of wood, stone, or brick.

This plant had purplish brown spots on a white background, but most of this species’ photos and descriptions depict spots on a golden yellow background. Those colors inspire the common name Tiger Orchid. To learn more about the biggest orchid in the world, check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s story and photos about repotting their 300 pound (136 kg) Tiger Orchid.





This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2014 at 7:41 pm and is filed under Fragrant Orchids, Growing, Photos, Warm Growers.



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