Angraecum Leonis in Spike - Culture Questions

[jiblylegs]

Originally Posted by Clawhammer

I have a healthy layer of moss on mine, indicating it is enjoying slightly damp conditions. Sounds like this plant can tolerate a range of conditions in cultivation that are different from its natural habitat.

We are fortunate to have the baker sheet for this species available for free:

As I understand, the Comoro Islands are quite a bit more damp than Madagascar. Hence, the large size difference between the two varieties. I grow mine in a 5in basket (nestled in a plastic pot) with medium bark and a bit of moss mixed in. It can hold about 100ml of water and seems to be quite happy with the setup. I'm curious if the smaller variety from Madagascar is just as tolerant of moister conditions. Are you aware of which variety you have?

Disclaimer: I bought this from Hausermann's and the tag says Madagascar, but the pictures of the Madagascar angraecum leonis are much smaller. The baker sheet even says as much:

A medium sized epiphyte that grows to 6-8 in. (15-20
cm) wide, and is usually less than 6 in. (15 cm) tall. While usually a
monopod with a short, stout stem, secondary growths will occasionally be
made from near the base of the stem. All measurements given are for the
Madagascan form. The Comoro Island form may be as much as twice the size
indicated.
LEAVES: Usually there 4-5 thick, sickle-shaped, distichous leaves on the
almost stemless plant and any one time. They are 4-6 in. (10-15 cm) long
and 0.6-1.0 in. (1.5-2.5 cm) wide.

The leaves on this one are already reaching 8in long. It could be that good culture allows the Madagascar variety to grow larger than it would typically in nature. I'm not sure.

[Havoccity]

I recommend taking look at in situ photos of the species on iNaturalist. The location info is usually included, so you can get an idea of the difference in growth and habitat between the Madagascar and Comoros types.

As a side note, it seems to me like the species has neater foliage when grown mounted. From what I can tell, the older a leaf is, the more it curls downwards. In nature as an epiphyte, this causes it to end up looking star shaped, but in culture this doesn't happen when the edges of pots obstructs the leaves from curling all the way.

I don't have one yet, but it'll be the first thing I get once I'm able to properly care for mounted orchids.

Also take a look at this:
https://www.orchids.org/articles/ang...ize-identifies

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Most Angraecums are soaking wet the entire growing season, and get dew most nights in the "dry" season. They grow as epiphytes, not in pots, so be sure they have air at their roots.

[jiblylegs]

Update:

It's farther along than last time and has overall kept on growing. I'm hoping for 4 or more blooms. :

[Roberta]

4 flowers on an Angcm. leonis spike would be spectacular...A tall order on a small plant. But since each flower is spectacular, it take a lot less to still give a lovely show.

[Dalachin]

Fingers crossed for you! No signs of buds on mine, but several new nubs on the exposed root, so I’m considering repotting into semi hydro. I have two Angraecum sesquipedales that turned from languid to thriving in sh… so I’m wondering if this Madagascar native would appreciate it too.

[My Green Pets]

Following this thread with interest! I just got one of these a few weeks ago, but it might be a couple years or more from bloom size.
Hoping yours will go all the way this time !

[jiblylegs]

First time getting this to bloom! Can't wait to show how it looks when the other 4 buds bloom.

[My Green Pets]

Congratulations! Looking forward to a fragrance report and photos when all four are fully open. Also curious to know how long they last. Enjoy, you have certainly earned it!

[jiblylegs]

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

Congratulations! Looking forward to a fragrance report and photos when all four are fully open. Also curious to know how long they last. Enjoy, you have certainly earned it!

Wow, I've been so busy lately and just now getting to the update. Well today the spike finally gave up, and at no point were all 4 blooms open. Each bloom lasted 2-3 weeks, and at most I had 2 blooms open at a time. I forgot to get pictures sadly, but each subsequent bloom was smaller than the first.

Fragrance wise, the smell is really so nice. It's like a sweet floral soap smell, and I'm a little obsessed. It hangs out in a cabinet, and when you open it up it fills the rest of the room. It's mainly fragrant at nights, but for me the scent sometimes last until the afternoon.