Lycaste virginalis: Bloom

Object Details

Description

When this large orchid first hit the European orchid scene in the late 1800s, it was so coveted that thousands were taken from its native Guatemalan cloud forests and exported. Almost all of these plants died for various reasons. By the 1930s, when this beautiful plant was first designated as the national flower of Guatemala, it was considered rare. Despite prohibition on the collection of L. virginalis starting in the 1940s, poaching continued, leading to the Guatemalan government banning the export of all orchids until the ‘90s. This beautiful orchid remains in danger, but protection efforts persist.

Bloom Time (Northern Hemisphere)

Year round; peaks in February and March

Pollination Syndrome

Bee (Euglossa), collects fragrance

Provenance

From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin

Accession Number

2018-1177A

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Life Form

Epiphytic

Bloom Characteristics

Inflorescence is 6-12" (15-30 cm) long with a single, waxy, long lasting flower. Flower is 4-6" (10-15 cm) across, but can be small as 2" (5 cm) across or as large as 7" (17.8 cm).

Foliage Characteristics

Deciduous

Fragrance

Fragrant

Plant Size

12-20" x 12-20" (30-51 x 30-46 cm)

Range

Mexico (Chiapas) to Honduras

Habitat

Cool cloud forests in the forks of trees; 3950-6600ft (1200-2000m)

See more items in

Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection

Common Name

Monja Blanca

White Nun Orchid

Saq Hix

Group

[vascular plants]

Class

Equisetopsida

Subclass

Magnoliidae

Superorder

Lilianae

Order

Asparagales

Family

Orchidaceae

Subfamily

Epidendroideae

Genus

Lycaste

Species

virginalis

Smithsonian Gardens

Topic

Orchids

Living Collections

Record ID

ofeo-sg_2018-1177A

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ax72ac79eba-f8d2-4dc7-a8a9-62e5cf3f9712