Description
Angraecum sesquipedale is a monocot with monopodial growth and can grow to a height of 1 m (3.3 ft). Its growth habit is rather similar to species in the genus Aerides. The leaves are dark green with a bit of a grayish tone and leathery with a bilobed tip. They are usually around 20–40 centimeters (7.9–15.7 in) long and 6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in) wide. The roots are dark gray, thick, and emerge from the orchid's stem. There tends to be few roots and they attach to the bark of the trees quite strongly. Each of the succulent roots can extend along the trunk of the tree for several meters.
There is also a variation of this species namely A. sesquipedale var. angustifolium. A. sesquipedale var. angustifolium tends to be smaller than A. sesquipedale and has narrower leaves. The chromosome number of A. sesquipedale is 2n=42. A. sesquipedale has also previously gone by the synonyms Aeranthes sesquipedalis Lindl. (1824), Macroplectrum sesquipedale Pfitzer (1889), Angorchis sesquepedalis Kuntze (1891), and Mystacidium sesquipedale Rolfe (1904).
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