Remember that huge tiger orchid (ahem, Grammatophyllum speciosum) that was taking over the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 2008? It's still there, and our inside sources tell us that, despite this type of plant rarely blooming in captivity, it has gained a gorgeous 100 pounds! That puts it at around 300 pounds, and with a current diameter of 12 feet (the stems can reach 15 feet in length).
The BBG tells us a little more:
In 2010, Aquatic House curator David Horak and other horticulture staff repotted the orchid, wrangling the 300-pound plant into a new wooden basket created by a BBG volunteer out of a rot-resistant tropical wood; the specimen’s new vessel is one of many factors that likely contributed to this unprecedented bloom.
The tiger orchid blooms only once every two to five years, and its blooms are expected to last through mid to late December. Click through for a preview, but go see this monster for yourself in the BBG's Robert W. Wilson Aquatic House in the Steinhardt Conservatory.
