September 13, 2008

Rare tiger orchid in bloom at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

A rare tiger orchid — a native of the hot forests of Malaysia, Sumatra, and New Guinea — is now in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

“The blooming of the tiger orchid is especially exciting—not only because it is so rare to see, particularly in this part of the world, but also because it is blooming on public display for the second time in less than five years, which is truly remarkable,” Dave Horak, curator of the garden’s Orchid Collection and Robert W. Wilson Aquatic House, said in a statement.

A tiger orchid normally blooms only once every two to five years and can be up to 15 feet in length — the largest single plant on record had a mass of two tons, according to garden officials.

The Brooklyn orchid has a flower stem of about seven feet long while the orchid itself is 12 feet in diameter and weighs approximately 200 pounds. It can remain in bloom for up to two months. It’s on public display in the Robert W. Wilson Aquatic House in the Steinhardt Conservatory, where it is suspended over a shallow pool in a large wooden basket.

See the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s list of other plants in bloom for September.

The garden is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is normally $8 for adults, but is free all day Tuesdays and from 10 a.m. to noon most Saturdays.

Picture source: Tiger orchid (Grammatophyllum speciosum,) provided by Brooklyn Botanic Garden via aaorchids.com.

Earlier: New York museums and gardens with free hours

September 13, 2008 12:08 PM in Cheap Stuff, Kids, Out of Manhattan, Romance, Sightsology

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