Goliath orchid facts for kids

The goliath orchid (scientific name: Sarcanthopsis warocqueana) is a really big and cool plant! It's a type of orchid that often grows on other plants or rocks. This orchid forms large groups, almost like big bushes. It has long, thick stems that branch out, and its roots look like thick cords. The leaves are tough and shaped like straps.

This amazing plant produces many flowers that can be cream, yellowish, or greenish. They often have pretty purple or brown spots. You can find the goliath orchid growing near the sea, in wet coastal areas, and in rainforests. It usually likes to grow in sunny spots. Most goliath orchids are found in New Guinea.

What Does the Goliath Orchid Look Like?

The goliath orchid is a large herb that grows in big, sprawling clumps. It can grow on other plants (this is called being an epiphyte) or on rocks (this is called being a lithophyte). It has thick, cord-like roots and thick, branched stems that can be 1–3 metres (3.3–9.8 ft) long.

This orchid has many fleshy, strap-like leaves. Each leaf is about 100–400 millimetres (3.9–16 in) long and 25–70 mm (0.98–2.8 in) wide. They grow about 45 mm (1.8 in) apart along the stem.

The goliath orchid produces many flowers. These flowers are cream-coloured, yellowish, or greenish, and they have purple or brown spots. Each flower is about 20–30 mm (0.79–1.2 in) long and wide. They grow on a branched flowering stem that is 150–300 mm (5.9–12 in) long. Each branch can have between five and fifteen flowers.

The flower parts include sepals, which are about 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide. The petals are a similar width but a bit shorter. The labellum (which is a special lip-like petal) is white with rose-coloured spots. It's about 8 mm (0.31 in) long and 6 mm (0.24 in) wide, and it has three parts called lobes. The two side lobes are shaped like triangles. The middle lobe is thick and has a small spur and a large, fleshy part called a callus.

You can usually see the goliath orchid flowering from April to August.

How the Goliath Orchid Got Its Name

The goliath orchid was first officially described in 1891 by a scientist named Robert Allen Rolfe. He first gave it the name Stauropsis warocqueana. He wrote about it in a book called Lindenia: iconography of orchids.

Later, in 1972, another scientist named Leslie Andrew Garay changed its name to Sarcanthopsis warocqueana. The second part of its scientific name, warocqueana, was chosen to honour "M. G. Warocqué". The very first plant specimen used to describe this orchid (called the type specimen) flowered in his garden.

Where the Goliath Orchid Lives

The Sarcanthopsis warocqueana orchid grows in different places. You can find it on rocks right by the coast, just above the water. It also grows on the branches of trees in rainforests, sometimes as high as 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level.

This orchid is mainly found in eastern New Guinea and the islands nearby. There has also been one young plant seen on Moa Island in Queensland, Australia.