A cluster of blooms has appeared on a Giant Orchid at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya — the first time the species, regarded as the largest orchid in the world, has flowered there in roughly 16 years.
The plant, known scientifically as Grammatophyllum speciosum, holds the record as the largest orchid species on earth, the gardens said.
Iroshini Andradi, Head of the Orchid Division at the Royal Botanical Gardens, said the species was last seen in bloom at Peradeniya around 2010.
“The plant that has flowered now was one planted in 2022. This is the first time that particular plant has bloomed,” she said. “Since such flowering is extremely rare, this is a very rare opportunity for both local and foreign visitors.”
A plant that can weigh a tonne
The Giant Orchid is found mainly across Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.
A fully grown specimen can weigh as much as a tonne and produces large flower spikes reaching two to three metres in height. The species typically blooms only once every four years or so, and flowering is strongly influenced by environmental and climatic conditions — which is why gaps between blooms at any single site can run far longer than the average.
H.C.P. Jayaweera, Director General of the Department of National Botanic Gardens, invited local and foreign tourists and the general public to visit Peradeniya to see the bloom.
The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, on the outskirts of Kandy, is Sri Lanka’s largest botanical garden and one of the country’s most-visited attractions.
