Lycaste virginalis
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 L. skinneri var. alba (now L. virginalis) 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
- Ethnobotanical Uses
- National flower of Guatemala.
- Pollination Syndrome
- Bee (Euglossa), collects fragrance
- Provenance
- From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
- Data Source
- Smithsonian Gardens
- Accession Number
- 2024-0055A
- 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
- Topic
- Orchids
- Living Collections
- Record ID
- ofeo-sg_2024-0055A
