Object Details
Description
The Crested Coelogyne has the largest flower of its genus, and is relatively easy to care for without a greenhouse. It is a small to medium sized orchid which enjoys cool temperatures.
Bloom Time (Northern Hemisphere)
December to May; peak in February and March
Ethnobotanical Uses
Once used widely in cut-flower arrangements.
Medicinal / Pharmaceutical
In Nepal, the pseudobulbs are used medicinally for cooling and soothing purposes. In India, juice from the pseudobulbs is applied to boils, or wounds on animals' hooves.
Provenance
From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
Accession Number
2015-1304A
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Life Form
Lithophytic
Bloom Characteristics
Pendulous to semi-erect inflorescence is 6-12" (15.2-30.5 cm) long with 5-8 white flowers which bloom simultaneously. Each showy, white flower is 3-5" (7.6-12.7 cm) across and lasts about 4-5 week.
Foliage Characteristics
Evergreen
Fragrance
Sweet (Banana, candy, citrus)
Plant Size
6-10" x 4-8" (15-25 x 10-20 cm), excluding inflorescence
Range
Himalaya to Bangladesh
Habitat
Moss forests; 4920-8530ft (1500-2600m)
See more items in
Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection
Common Name
Crested Snow Orchid
The Crested Coelogyne
Group
[vascular plants]
Class
Equisetopsida
Subclass
Magnoliidae
Superorder
Lilianae
Order
Asparagales
Family
Orchidaceae
Subfamily
Epidendroideae
Genus
Coelogyne
Species
cristata
Data Source
Smithsonian Gardens
Topic
Orchids
Living Collections
Link to Original Record
Record ID
ofeo-sg_2015-1304A