Angraecum sesquipedale four buds on one spike

[smweaver]

Angraecum sesquipedale is a justifiably popular species. Easy to grow and bloom, it's one of the few orchids I have which has buds that (in my opinion) are nearly as beautiful as the blooms. The only thing that I don't like about the flowers (and I'm possibly in the minority here) is their scent; although strong, the smell isn't all that great (especially compared to species like eburneum and magdalenae). Still, no complaints here--I don't want the plant to think that I'm unappreciative of its efforts and abort the spike to teach me a lesson about gratitude :-).

Steve

Flickr Photo Download: Angraecum sesquipedale plant and buds
Angraecum sesquipedale buds on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Angurek]

I'm probably gonna try this one again sometime in the future.

Keep us posted with the pics. That spike is coming along quite nicely...I can't wait to see the open flowers.

[smweaver]

Thanks, Carl. What happened to your first try?

[mollycart1]

Looks great, Steve. The most flower counts I had on mine was 3. And mine is about to bloom with 3 flowers this year.

[Angurek]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Thanks, Carl. What happened to your first try?

I actually had two sesquipedales, one after the other. They both came down with what I believe was a fungal or bacterial infection. A brownish blotch worked its way up the plant, yellowing and killing leaves as it reached them. Eventually, only the three upper leaves remained. After a few days, they fell off, too. All I had left was a tan stub of leaves. I threw the stubs out and sanitized my growing area before my other plants became infected.

But as I said, I'm going to try again when I can. I love this genus.

[Ross]

Very nice, Steve. Mine's too young right now to bloom.

[peeweelovesbooks]

Gorgeous!!! The buds are incredibly interesting.


Mine is growing amazingly fast--and I only got it about a year ago.

How do you grow yours? Light? I give mine as much light as my Laelia anceps and it seems to like it a lot.

[smweaver]

Yes, it can handle a lot of light. Not as much as, say, Rhyncholaelia digbyana or Dendrobium speciosum, but certainly as much as the more light-demanding cattleya species (amethystoglossa, tigrina, etc.). While it does dry out between waterings during the winter months, I don't expose it to what would actually qualify as a dry season (in the summer it gets watered a lot, usually every two to three days). And it appears to appreciate heat, although it's tolerant of intermediate temperatures, in my experience.

[smweaver]

As usual, the blooms of this species make a favorable impression on everyone who comes over to visit during the Christmas holiday season, especially at night when the fragrance in the confined space of the sunroom becomes rather overpowering. Measured from the top of the bloom to the bottom of the nectary, the individual flowers are nearly as long as my forearm.

Steve

Angraecum sesquipedale on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Angraecum sesquipedale on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Thanks for sharing, Steve. Your plant is maturing beutifully.

I have the Angreacum Lemfode White Beauty hybrid growing very fast in leca, passive hydro. However, I don't think any of them bloom as reliably for the Winter holidays as this one.