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Habenaria floribunda

Habenaria floribunda
Habenaria floribunda is a wide-spread species, occurring in Florida, West Indies, Mexico, Central America, all the way down to Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil (link to a world-wide distribution map). It is one of the most common orchids in Florida (distribution in florida).  They grow in damp forest floor. In Florida, it is supposed to bloom in September up north and in February in south according to this site.  A blog post by Prem Subrahmanyam contains the photos of this species in their native habitat.  Some people say that the strong scent of this species is unpleasant.  But I agree with Prem, it is not a bad smell at all.  It is kind of "floral" smell, and similar to the smell inside of flower shop.

Although it is wide-spread and fairly common, it doesn't seem to be a popular species among orchid growers.  But when you look at the detail of individual flowers, it is rather exotic (as with many species in genus Habenaria)!
Habenaria floribunda

I got this plant from Lee's Botanical Gardens in spring 2015.  It seems to be an easy grower.  I'm using Sphagnum Peat Moss:Perlite (regular one, not the Coarse kind)=2:1, and it is always kept dump. My growing temperature is max/min of 27/18C (80/65F) year around.  But it is probably happier with a higher temperature range.  It seems to be ok with very low light (even less than Phalaenopsis level).  I didn't know the size of this plant and was using 2.25" pot, but now I have moved it to a bigger pot (6" square).  Also, it was neglected in a tank with insufficient height, so the inflorescence is bent and the plant doesn't look nice. I will try to do better next year.
Habenaria floribunda inflorescence
Habenaria floribunda plant

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