What is the largest orchid flower?

[rtsingleton]

anyone know in particular which catts are so large?

[taipan]

I believe one of the biggest flowers ( species ) is Angreacum sesquipedale from Malagasy

[Djarum Black]

There is a Stanhopea specimen plant grown by Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids that has the biggest flowers I have ever seen. He held just one of the flowers in his hand for me to view and the flower was bigger then his hand. I wish I had taken a photo!

[unhappykat]

Cattleya warscewiczii
by far is the largest of the Cattleya species. When well grown flowers reach 12 inches across and 10 inches long, A single spike can have ten flowers all of which rise above one another to form what looks like a tower of giant blooms.
heres a link to a page with some info on the species.

Cattleya warscewiczii

[Scruffy]

Phragmipedium kovachii.com [Main Page] This link (Ihope) tells about the kovachii being 8-10"span.

[kavanaru]

as Phantasm said, Paph sanderianum is the longest flower (It even has a Guinness record, I think!), but I remember one Cattleya (could be hybrid or species I do not remember as it was many many years ago in Venezuela - I was around 12/14 years old) with flowers with a spam of more than 30 cm (12'')

I remember they had a large dish next to the flower for comparison and it was smaller. That really impressed me at that time... Have never seen anything similar again...

[rtsingleton]

this is turning into quite the learning experience? anyone else have any overly large species or hybrids that they know of? funny how all the ones listed seem to be the most expensive ones around...

[kavanaru]

here it is... World Record Rapunzel is the one in Guinness... can be bought at Zephyrus Orchids for $ 20 000 (sorry, $ 19 999 it's on sale New Page 1 ) which brings us back to the expensive plants