Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Lion's Angraecum (Angraecum leonis)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Lion Orchid, Comet Orchid relative.

More about lion's angraecum

About Lion's Angraecum

Angraecum leonis · also called Lion Orchid, Comet Orchid relative · tropical

Angraecum leonis is a compact Malagasy epiphytic orchid that produces large, waxy white flowers with a long nectar spur, pollinated by sphinx moths. Despite its modest size, it bears disproportionately large blooms with a sweet nocturnal scent. Prefers bright light and a cool dry winter rest. As an orchid, it is pet-safe.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (indoor-only in most homes) · RHS H1b (13-28°C)

Watch for — Failure to flower: This species absolutely requires a cooler, drier winter rest to set flower spikes. Without it, plants remain vegetative.

What lion's angraecum's hardiness rating actually means

Lion's Angraecum is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 11-12 (indoor-only in most homes) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Lion's Angraecum has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for lion's angraecum as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can lion's angraecum go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when lion's angraecum can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Lion's Angraecum hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is lion's angraecum cold hardy?

Lion's Angraecum is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Lion's Angraecum can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (indoor-only in most homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature lion's angraecum can survive?

What hardiness zone is lion's angraecum?

Lion's Angraecum is rated USDA 11-12 (indoor-only in most homes) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can lion's angraecum survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to lion's angraecum below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.