Tiger Orchid, Grammatophyllum Speciosum, Blooms At Brooklyn Botanic Garden (PHOTOS)

A rare occurrence is taking place right now at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City. The garden's tiger orchid (Grammatophyllum speciosum) is blooming for only the third time in 13 years.

The garden's website reports that the current bloom is quite stunning. Their orchid, which weighs 300 pounds, is "producing a magnificent display of 17 flower spikes and hundreds of yellow-and-brown-spotted blossoms."

This year's tiger orchid bloom is expected to produce between 850 and 1,700 flowers in total, hundreds more than the two previous blooms. Brooklyn Daily reports that a new fertilizer is responsible. Orchid curator David Horak said, "The amount and quality of the flowers is more than likely from the new fertilizer."

According to Gothamist, the plant has gained 100 pounds since 2008, and is now 12 feet in diameter. Brooklyn Botanic Garden says that even in the wild in Southeast Asia, tiger orchids only bloom "reportedly once every two to four years."

Check out the pictures below for a glimpse of the tiger orchid's blossoms. If you're in the New York City area, the orchid is expected to remain in bloom for about another month.

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Comments

[AdrianIreland]

01:23 PM on 08/31/2012

Loving Orchids I am... all mine are flowering now! yay

[Ilman Salim]

09:31 PM on 03/08/2012

I have three Grammatophyllum speciosum. now two plants have started flowering. there may be collectors who want to buy. My location is in Indonesia.

[jsonlau]

10:07 PM on 11/17/2011

I never met an orchid I couldn't kill.

[eyelashviper]

11:04 AM on 11/19/2011

LOL, I know what you mean. I live in Florida, and when I first moved here, bought orchids and managed to kill them all, then learned that they can easily be watered to death, and belong in hanging pots in the trees, with orchid potting stuff (not dirt, but a combination of bark, charcoal, and other magical things to be bought in a package).
Since I learned to leave them alone, water and feed at intervals, I have been greatly rewarded by beautiful plants with amazing blossoms.

[jktejas]

07:53 PM on 11/17/2011

This reminds me of something funny that happened several years ago when I went to one of the special orchid exhibitions at a friends insistance. I must say it was really beautiful. However, she was a serious orchid lover and treated herself to one of the plants that just happened to be carnivorous. She was in a long check out line with other serious looking plant lovers and horticulturists. Soooo.....I walked up to her and loudly annouced "That thing you're carrying will come out and eat you at midnight.....I know it will because I saw that movie!" Hey....what are friends for if not to give advice? and yes, it did get a rise out of a few people.....lolol.

[YOKEL13]

11:17 PM on 11/19/2011

I bet your friend knew it was actually you who would come out and eat her at midnight.

[ajustman]

07:46 PM on 11/17/2011

what is the new fertilizer??

[Cindy Noel]

05:23 PM on 11/17/2011

beautiful

[silaloca]

04:35 PM on 11/17/2011

Very pretty, wish I lived close by. Bet it is stunning close up!