Tropicals > Angraecum > Angraecum sesquipedale > Angraecum sesquipedale
Angraecum sesquipedale
Origin: This plant originates from Madagascar, specifically the eastern side of the island.
Mike's
Opinion
"
Angraecum sesquidale is a beautiful white star shaped flower endemic to Madagascar. I feel this plant is very stunning and has unique in appearance which makes it desirable. I would love to get cultivars of this plant when they're in season.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Orchidaceae |
| Genus |
| Angraecum |
| Species |
| sesquipedale |
| Category |
| Tropicals |
| Type |
| Vine |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 11 - 13 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 10 - 11 |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H1a |
| Temperature (°C) |
| 10 - 21 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 30 - 70 |
| Height |
| 1 m |
| Spread |
| 0.1 - 0.35 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| The leaves are healthy dark evergreen green, with hints of grey in them. The stem follows this ideal colouring of green until you get to the flowers which are greenish white when they first open but will wean off to a solid white. |
| Landscape |
| The commercial uses of this plant include holiday flowering for consumers who choose to buy them. |
| Cultivation |
| There are many different cultivars of this plant, many of which flower in December and have become a known winter plant. They are recommended for hot house environments due to the heat needed for germination. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| Pests |
| No notable pests or diseases. |
| Habitat |
| The eastern side of the Madagascar near low altitudes This plant likes to attach to trees due to the forest floor being awash with water for most of the year. In the eastern regions near the rain forest, cultivars exist but this is a main species. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| The stem is thin but firm, due to needing to hold on to the trees it hosts, they also form quite the structure some stem/root systems being metres long. |
| Leaf Description |
| The leaves of this flower are dark green and are pointed in shape. The size of the leaf’s ranges from 20-40 cm in length and 6-8 cm in width. They have a leathery consistency due to the moist habitat. The leaves have a smooth and sharp leaf margin and have a vertical venation. |
| Flower Description |
| This flower is bright white and has a unique star shaped, it has multiple pointed edges and is approximately 30 cm. The bright white colour of this flower attracts the pollinator moths at night as they are nocturnal. The white colour allows it to be more visible in the dark. The flower has a waxy texture and in the wild normally flowers between late May and August. In places where the flower is not grown naturally it blooms in the months of December and January. This flower is a specialty orchid and is not normally found in arrangements due to the necessary environment it needs to survive. |
| Colour Description |
| The flower when first bloomed will give off a light green aura, when fully in bloom it has a breath-taking bright white colour. |
| Texture Description |
| Waxy, Rubbery, Leathery |
| Notable Specimens |
| A. sesquipedale is notable due to its connection with Charles Darwin, the scholars of the time couldn't agree with how this flower was pollinated most assuming it was self fertilizing due to its size before blooming and where the pollen is located within. Charles Darwin proposed that it was pollinated by a moth of sorts, no known moth was known to science at that point. Specimens to see in person are hard to find due to their special growing conditions temperature wise, though there was one at the University of Toronto last year. |
| Propagation |
| Being epiphytic the plant needs a tree or stronger organism close by to support it up, if potted a crutch is recommended. The growing medium recommended is sphagnum moss with 0.5 G/L fertilizer solution. |
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