Angraecum eburneum QUESTIONS.

[thediaTOMaceouscity]

Hey Everybody.

1. is Angraecum eburneum v. "comorense" now superbum? and why is that?
2. Does anyone have any cultural information on this species? I just ordered one from Larry's Orchids and the description said it was 5 to 6 inches high, how long do you all think I'll have to wait until it flowers.
3. Is anyone growing this species indoors (I'm in New England Mass specifically)
4. Is there anything special I have to do to take care of it.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

[WhiteRabbit]

[Leafmite]

I grow some angraecums but not that one. Here is a great resource for them:
Genus Angraecum - Angraecum Encyclopedia
Angraecums all seem to need good airflow but other than this, their needs vary. That is why I love this site!

[DavidCampen]

Orchidwiz does not list an Angraecum eburneum var. comorense. The flowers in the Larry's Orchid catalog look like Angcm. superbum which is also sometimes called Angcm. eburneum var. superbum.

[Ryan.Walsh]

The Kew Monocot Checklist recognizes A. comorense as a synonym of Angraecum eburneum subsp. superbum...

It never lists A. eburneum var. comorense as an accepted varietal or subspecies name. It looks like the "comorense" name was orginally described as a separate species in 1893 but was then recognized as just a subspecies of A. eburneum and therefore was renamed. Since the "comorense" classification was invalid and the A. eburneum classification preceded it (1804), it was determined the plant was actually Angraecum eburneum subsp. superbum. It was probably just a confusion in horticultural labeling. People knew comorense was reclassified as A. eburneum but didn't realize it was actually one and the same as Angraecum eburneum subsp. superbum.

Hope that helps with the naming issue.

[DavidCampen]

On a related note about confusion in plant names/identities; I have a plant that I purchased as Cattleya skinneri and another that I purchased as C. deckeri. According to the Orchidwiz database; C. deckeri is a synonym for C. skinneri and won't let me match my catalog entry for the plant to C. deckeri in the Orchidwiz database. But C. skinneri has been moved to a new genus: Guarianthe and there is also an Orchidwiz entry for Guarianthe deckeri which it again says is a synonym for C. skinerri but it will allow me to match a Guarianthe deckeri entry in my plant catalog to the Guarianthe deckeri entry in the Orchidwiz database. So for now, since I am not convinced that the plant I bought as C. deckeri is the same species as the plant that I bought as C. skinneri, my catalog has the plant that I bought as C. deckeri listed as Guarianthe deckeri and the plant that I bought as C. skinneri listed as Guarianthe skinneri.

[thediaTOMaceouscity]

Thanks for all your help I appreciate it!

[goodgollymissmolly]

The central American cattleyas, aurantiaca, bowringiana, patinii, skinneri, and (at the time) deckeri were moved to a new genus, Guarianthe. This move is justified by both flower morphology and DNA. This occurred in 2003.

In 2006, deckeri was accepted as synonymous with skinneri.

Thus there are only 4 of them now since deckeri is no longer considered a separate species.

Agreeing or not is really not an issue. The taxonomic community agrees. Remember this is an effort to compartmentalize nature for the convenience of human organization. Nature never signed up to be organized.

[DavidCampen]

Originally Posted by goodgollymissmolly

...Agreeing or not is really not an issue. The taxonomic community agrees. Remember this is an effort to compartmentalize nature for the convenience of human organization. Nature never signed up to be organized.

Thank you for the information about genus Guarianthe.

I believe that you missed an important point I was making -(brief rhetorical sentence to follow): So you say that the taxonomic community agrees that the plant I purchased as C. skinneri is the same species as the plant that I purchased as C. deckeri. Really? I was not aware that the taxonomic community had ever examined my plants. To my knowledge the names of my plants were assigned by some orchid dealers who are not experts on Laelianae taxonomy. So it seems to me that the issue of my agreement that the 2 plants are the same species or not is quite valid.

[Leafmite]

I thought these others responding here who knew so much about your angraecum would help. I don't have yours. I grow leonis, distichum, didieri and magdalenae. My sesquipidale seedling that I had been growing for the past three years was recently mistaken as a chew toy by my dog so I am replacing it with one that is blooming size (I am privately thanking the dog as it would have been many years to blooming). I like to put most of mine in net/basket pots with red lava rock--the size of the roots determines the size of the rock (smaller roots, smaller rock). I have one leonis mounted on a hunk of lava rock as an experiment and it seems happy. Madagascar (and Africa) has a range of climates so I find the location on the site I gave you, then look up the region's climate. The angraecums I grow take different conditions but aren't fussy about humidity. Some angraecums have a dry period in nature, some don't. Some endure temps of 50'F in the winter, too.
I give all but the distichum higher light and they grow at a nice clip, constantly putting out new leaves and roots. I don't find them to be slow growers. All but distichum are close to southern windows, bathing in maximum light. Distichum is getting bright, indirect light and seems happy. I have them in rooms where there is good air-flow. I don't worry about humidity (and they don't seem to, either). I water when the roots look dry. I am sorry I can't help you with your specific ang but I do find these to be easy to grow because they are tolerant. Good luck!