Grammatophyllum speciosum

"Grammatophyllum speciosum Blume, also called giant orchid, tiger orchid, sugar cane orchid or queen of the orchids, is a species of orchid native to Indonesia. It is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest orchid, with specimens recorded up to 7.62 me(25 ft) in height" 

Grammatophyllum speciosum Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind. 8: 378 (1825).

Grammatophyllum speciosum Blume, Photo by Yosuke Oda

Latin Name: 

Grammatophyllum speciosum Blume

Family: 

Orchidaceae Juss.

Synonym:

Grammatophyllum fastuosum Lindl.

Grammatophyllum giganteum Blume ex Rchb.f.

Grammatophyllum macranthum (Wight) Rchb.f.

Pattonia macrantha Wight

Vietnamese name:

Thanh tuyền, Diệp lệ vàng.

English Name:

Queen of orchids, The Showy Flowered Grammatophyllum.

Thailand name:

Hang chang - Ueang phetchahueng - Wan phetchahueng

Description: 

They have erect to spreading, very long, cylindric, yellowish with age, many ridged and noded pseudobulbs enveloped completely by leafless and leaf-bearing sheaths and carrying thin textured, distichous, linear or ovate, obtuse or acute, decurved in apical half leaves that are articulated to the basal leaf sheaths and blooms in the summer, fall and early winter as well as in the summer and have a 4 to 10 foot [120 to 300 cm] long, basal, erect to arching, racemose, many flowered inflorescence that carry 30 to 50 sometimes fragrant, waxy, successively opening, long-lasting flowers with the lowest flowers being imperfect and distant. This species has erect,spreading or drooping pseudobulbs that can be up to 3 meters long and leaves that go well up the stem giving them more of a palm tree look. Can be slow to bloom, plants need to be large and have a lot of backbulbs and even still the orchid can be sporadic, at best, to bloom. This species is often found in conjunction with ants and may benefit from their presence.

Distribution:

Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam (Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang).

Ecological:

A large to giant sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte and occasional lithophyte occuring in lowland forests near streams and rivers at elevations of 100 to 1200 m and is recorded to be the heaviest orchid in the world and is capable of becoming huge in cultivation.

Cultivation:

These plants are usually rare in cultivation due to their spacial requirements. Plants require direct sunlight and intermediate to warm temperatures. Keep in temperatures of 75° to 85°F in the day and 55°-6O°F in the night. Plants can tolerate temperatures up to 100°F and as low as 45°F. Plants need to be heavily fertilized during growing season. Pot in sphagnum moss or medium fir bark. Mix should be well drained. Keep area well ventilated. Water frequently in spring to early fall during growth period, but do not keep mix wet and damp. In the winter reduce watering and water when potting media is dried.

Flowering times:

In the early spring and summer.

Flower size:

20.0 cm.

Flowering times:

In the summer, fall and early winter

Typus:

Reference: 

- theplantlist.org

- https://www.ipni.org/n/636310-1

- http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:636310-1

-  http://www.orchidspecies.com/grammspeciosum.htm. 

- https://orchids.fandom.com/wiki/Grammatophyllum_speciosum

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatophyllum_speciosum

- https://thuocdongduoc.vn/chi-grammatophyllum-blume-1825