Orchid of the Week: Aeranthes grandiflora

One thing you don’t see very often in orchids is a nice green-colored bloom. I was flipping through one of my books for ideas this morning (Orchids by Thomas J. Sheehan) and found this lovely green orchid called Aeranthes grandiflora:

Photo credit: streetmorrisart, slippertalk.com

As part of the Angraecinae subtribe, it’s related to Angraecum sesquipedale, the “Darwin’s Orchid” that I featured awhile back. This baby is a Madigascar native with a butterscotch-like fragrance. Its blooms open at night and usually in succession over a long period of time. Apparently this orchid is easy to grow in the home, needing low light and medium to warm temperature.

Photo credit: larces, Flickr
Photo credit: TheGreenMan1982, Flickr

Here’s what the actual plant looks like in bloom—long spikes with spidery-looking, small flowers:

Photo credit: aeranthes, Flickr

Have a great weekend, everyone! My parents are arriving in NYC this evening so I’ll be off visiting with them.