Species Orchid, Ground Orchid, Large Purple Orchid, Pleated Leaf Spathoglottis

On Jun 12, 2018, arbuck from Micanopy, FL wrote:

Just bought 2 of these for $3.00 each on the sale cart at Lowe's in Gainesville, FL. Saw "ground orchid" and pleated leaves and thought I was getting Chinese bletilla, of which I have a few growing in the ground here. Closer view showed these to be Spathoglottix Plicata. These seem to be tropical, and unlike bletilla, will not overwinter here in zone 9a due to occasional freezes. They're listed as invasive in tropical areas here:
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This won't be a problem for me. I'll keep them potted, and the winter freezes should mop up any seed pods that escape.

On Aug 12, 2009, GardnGator from Tallahassee, FL (Zone 8a) wrote:

I loved the look of this plant and so bought several, but the winter must have been tough on them, because half didn't come back at all, and those that did haven't bloomed. From your comments, it sounds like I needed to be more vigilant about watering them where I planted them in the yard. We had a colder than usual winter (for the 21st century, anyway) here in Big Bend Florida, so that may have done them in. Wish I could have more success; I'm trying curcuma this year.

On Jun 7, 2005, JaxFlaGardener from Jacksonville, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:

These plants were recently offered in the dozens at Lowe's for about $17 each and I couldn't resist buying one, but there was no cultivation information provided with the plant. From the reports above, it looks as though I might have to remove it from the ground and keep it through the winter as a potted orchid in my greenhouse (Zone 8b/9a borderline here). I successfully grow other Chinese ground orchids outdoors and was hoping this one would also survive our winters with occasional hard freezes. I would appreciate hearing from other gardeners that may have had success with this orchid outdoors in colder climates.

On Oct 19, 2002, Lophophora from Tokyo,
Japan wrote:

You often see this orchid planted in large beds in such places a Singapore and Jakarta, where they bloom continuously. Unfortunately for us in non-tropical climates, the plant is very tender - I've lost pots grown from seed (germinates readily in a leaf mould/garden loam mixture at 28-30 degrees C.) after outside temps have dropped below 8 C. Appreciates *excellent* air circulation and very bright light, as well as hot sweaty temperatures, and therefore does not usually thrive as a window sill orchid. Unless you live in the tropics or subtropics, you'll probably need a green house to grow this plant to its full potential.

On Feb 14, 2002, Dinu from Mysore,
India (Zone 10a) wrote:

The flowers will be in bloom for nearly 2-3 months.