Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

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

Also called Lion's Angraecum, Lion Orchid.

More about lion's angraecum

About Lion's Angraecum

Angraecum leonis · also called Lion's Angraecum, Lion Orchid · tropical

A compact monopodial orchid from Comoros and Madagascar bearing scimitar-shaped fleshy leaves and large, pure-white night-fragrant flowers with long nectary spurs. Grow warm with bright filtered light, high humidity, and a wet-dry watering cycle. Mounted or in small pots with very open bark mix; slow to establish but rewarding once specimen-sized.

Cold limit: USDA 11–12 · RHS H1a (18–30 °C (day 24–30 °C; night minimum 18 °C))

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 H1a means: Tropical — needs a heated room or greenhouse; no frost tolerance whatsoever. On the US scale that maps to USDA 11–12 — 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 above about 15 °C (warm, never cold). 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 above about 15 °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 above 15 °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 H1a 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); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

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

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly above about 15 °C (warm, never cold). Lion's Angraecum has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is lion's angraecum?

Lion's Angraecum is rated USDA 11–12 and RHS H1a — Tropical — needs a heated room or greenhouse; no frost tolerance whatsoever.

Can lion's angraecum survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above above 15 °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 above about 15 °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.