Quote:
Originally Posted by PaxTea
I have been daydreaming about what I would get if I were to expand my collection beyond NOID grocery store Phals, and I've noticed that I really like the strange little white Angraecoid orchids.
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Cool. Expanding your horizons is always a good thing.
Angraecoids are pretty cool.
I'm pretty picky about what kinds of Angraecoids I'd like to grow, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PaxTea
According to wikipedia and the individual plant descriptions, they seem like they're not especially hard to to care for, but they don't seem to be very common. Why not?
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No, Angraecoids are not terribly hard to grow, they're like growing Vandas, except they come from various parts of Africa instead of Asia.
They aren't very popular because, at least for the miniature ones, they are small flowered and they are white colored. That's it. It's that simple. There are quite a few people out there who are not crazy about tiny - small sized white flowers.
Some of the species you posted are not small flowered though. Some of them are as large as Vandas, plant-wise. The flowers are sometimes anywhere on the order of 2.5" or more across.
The Aerangis are the ones that are smaller flowered, with some being under 1".
It isn't to say that there aren't miniature Angraecum, because there are.
Here's a mini Angraecum;
Angcm distichum:
Angraecum distichum at Santa Barbara Orchid Estate
The larger Angraecoids are probably not as popular as Vandas due to two things:
1. Size - some of them get just as large as a Vanda.
2. Color - they're mostly either white or green or a combination thereof.
If you want something to start with, and size is not an issue,
Angraecum sesquipedale can be a good one to start with.
This one's a bit harder to find, but
Plectrelminthus caudatus might be another good starter. It's huge though.
Angraecoids for a beginner?
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