A Very Different Orchid Subspecies
These brilliant magenta flowers belong to an unusual orchid subspecies. It’s a little orchid with a big name, Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum. It bears many similarities to its close relation, Arpophyllum giganteum, whose purple flowers are shown in the final photo below. Both are cool growers. They’ve been reliable bloomers for years, putting up clusters of small, colorful flowers. But the alpinum subspecies is dwarfed by its relative: a single leaf of the main species is larger than the entire subspecies plant. My alpinum plant is about one foot (30 cm) wide by 8 inches (20 cm) tall, with 6 inch (15 cm) leaves. Each leaf of the larger plant can reach 2 feet (61 cm) long or more! My entire plant is about 4 feet (122 cm) wide by 3 feet (91 cm) tall.
The two varieties have different color blooms, but their flower shapes and sizes are very close. As its name suggests, the alpinum subspecies comes from high elevations. It can grow above 10,000 feet (3048 m) in the high mountains of Mexico and Central America. Alpine plants stay small in their harsh, windy environments, resulting in compact versions of plants compared to lower elevations. That explains how two very different plants can be the same species.
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