Habenaria medusa Orchid – Orchid House, Princess of Wales Conservatory, Kew Gardens, Richmond upon Thames, London, England

Habenaria medusa is a species of orchid endemic to Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Borneo. Habenarias are known for being difficult to cultivate, intolerant of poor or chemically treated water, and needing a strict, dry winter dormant period. They rot easily if watered during their dry season. Despite its sensitive nature, the Smithsonian’s specimen has proven to be more amenable than most to cultivation and has bloomed three times since being purchased as a small bulb from a vendor from Singapore at the World Orchid Conference. This year the plant was selfed (pollinated with its own pollen) to create more seedlings of this delightful species and also crossed with a related species with a deep coral pink lobed lip in the hopes of producing flowers with a colorful medusa lip.