Object Details
Description
This medium to large sized orchid is very fragrant at night to attract its moth pollinator, but also sensitive. It is said that if a light is turned on at night, the plant will temporarily stop producing scent. It is also slow to recover from repotting and other disturbances. The entire plant is covered in a powdery bloom.
Bloom Time (Northern Hemisphere)
February to July; peaks from May to July
Pollination Syndrome
Moth
Provenance
From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
Accession Number
2014-0897A
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Life Form
Epiphytic
Bloom Characteristics
Erect inflorescence is 3" (7.5 cm) long with a single large, white to green, hairy-looking flower. Each flower is 7" (18 cm) across.
Fragrance
Lemon to lily of the valley
Plant Size
10-18" x 3-4" (25-46 x 8-10 cm)
Range
SE Mexico to Honduras
Habitat
Humid lowlands; 33-3280ft (10-1000m)
See more items in
Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection
Common Name
Digby's Beaked Laelia
Queen of the Night
Group
[vascular plants]
Class
Equisetopsida
Subclass
Magnoliidae
Superorder
Lilianae
Order
Asparagales
Family
Orchidaceae
Subfamily
Epidendroideae
Genus
Rhyncholaelia
Species
digbyana
Data Source
Smithsonian Gardens
Topic
Orchids
Living Collections
Link to Original Record
Record ID
ofeo-sg_2014-0897A