Three cupped flower and three buds on six sequentially blooming 54.0-cm thin, arching inflorescence, three inflorescences with flowers, 2 inflorescences with plantlets and one immature inflorescence, plant of three sympodial growths with no obvious rhizomes, fans of eight to 12 smooth, green, conduplicate, narrowly elliptical leaves with distinct midline crease and unevenly notched tips, largest leaf is 2.5 cm wide x 29.0 cm long, roots 0.1 cm in diameter, flexuous, root tips green, plant 50.0cm wide x 33.0cm tall; dorsal sepal lanceolate, pale chartreuse lightly overlaid yellow distal one-half; lateral sepals pale chartreuse sub-triangulate basal one half, fused to column foot, transitioning abruptly to caudae lightly overlaid yellow; petals pale chartreuse, sub-quadratic basal one-half, margins finely denticulate, abruptly transitioning to falcate caudae lightly overlaid yellow; lip pale chartreuse sub-rectangular basal two-thirds, distal one-third triangular, reflexed, lightly overlaid yellow, spur spatulate 0.2 cm wide x 2.0 cm long, pale chartreuse; column chartreuse 0.4 cm wide x 1.0 cm long, anther cap chartreuse; ovary green, smooth 0.2 cm in diameter by 2.5 cm long, ribbed longitudinally; substance firm, texture waxy, species native to Comoros Islands; re-identified by SITF on ___________.

This plant was originally awarded a CBR on 09/21/2024. It was sent SITF and ID’d on 10/15/2024
as Aeranthes grandiflora. See below. The same plant bloomed again, this time with plantlets growing on the old inflorescences. See the statement about the plantlets below. Our center decided to resubmit this award. This plant came from Afri Orchids.

SITF has determined this plant to be Aeranthes grandiflora, not Aeranthes virginalis (Oct 2024). Johan Hermans, a noted botanist in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, an expert in this genus, has identified this plant as A. grandiflora. He said that A. virginalis cannot be mistaken for any other species because of the crossed sepals (crossing in front of the lip making it unmistakable) and more, importantly, the formation of plantlets that occur along the inflorescence; the only species in the genus that forms such plantlets. This plantlet formation starts very early in the development of the inflorescence, usually before the first bud opens. This plant does not exhibit either of these two key characteristics. Kew POWO lists two entries for A. grandiflora. A. grandiflora (Lindl. 1833) is synonymous with A. arachnites and is not this flower. A. grandiflora (Lindl. 1844) is accepted by Kew and matches this flower. Nullified by center due to prior awards to the species.