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Ansellia is a genus of large epiphytic orchids, most often represented by the leopard orchid (Ansellia africana), which grows in clumps on tree branches in tropical and southern Africa. It is grown by using very bright light and a dry rest in autumn to encourage flowering.
Ansellia is considered a monotypic genus of orchid, with only one species, Ansellia africana, commonly known as African ansellia or leopard orchid, however, it may in fact be a complex group of species which share common floral structure and growth habit.
The plants are found throughout tropical and subtropical Africa. It was named after John Ansell, an English assistant botanist. who found the first specimens in 1841 on the Fernando Po Island in West Africa. This genus is sometimes abbreviated as Ansel or Aslla in horticultural trade.
An easy species to grow, in cultivation the plants usually bloom with a terminal inflorescence from the older pseudobulbs, some plants however, will produce flowers from newer pseudobulbs in odd years. These plants are shy to flower in cultivation unless they receive very bright light of around 2000 foot candles and given a dry rest for about 6 weeks in the fall. In habitat, the plants can go periods of several months without water, and are very drought tolerant, but the plants tend to perform better if kept evenly moist throughout the year. Plants which are receiving enough light will take on a yellowish coloration in the leaves. This is normal as these plants use CAM photosynthesis. Plants with very green leaves are not receiving enough light.
This orchid is native to tropical and southern Africa, found alongside coasts and rivers in the canopy of trees, usually at elevations lower than 700 m (2,300 ft) (occasionally up to 2,200 m (7,200 ft)).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ansellia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
