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What Does A Brassia Orchid Plant And A Spider Have In Common?
By Bob Roy
What does a spider and an orchid plant have in common?
Yes, Halloween is a special day. Brassia orchid plant is a
name given to these spider orchids.
Indeed, you can see the resemblance to the spider in this
picture.
These beautiful orchids are from the Genus, Brassia, the
spider orchid. The long and slender petals and septals are
like spider legs.
They are named in honor of William Brass, a 19th-century
British botanical illustrator, this orchid grows in the wet
forests of tropical Central and South America, but it is also
comfortable in cultivation.
Many species in the genus Brassia orchid plants are
pollinated by parasitic wasps, which normally lay their
eggs on spiders. The patterns and structure of Brassia
orchids resemble a spider in its web enough to encourage
these wasps to lay their eggs in the plants' blossoms and
in doing so pollinate them.
The flower spike will provide you with a number of these
flowers which do resemble spiders along the spike.
Brassias are crossed with Miltonia and Ondontoglossums
to produce some very pretty orchid plants. Some have
flowers that reach about 10 inches in diameter.
And did I mention they are extremely fragrant as well.
They are not hard to grow but do require some specific
parameters for their growth. First, spider orchid plants do
require either high intensity bright light. This can be diffuse
light. They should not have the direct noon-time sunlight.
During the day and into their growth and blooming period
they like temps between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. At
night the temps for the Brassia orchid plant should be
between 55 and 65.
Just after their blooming period the Brassia orchid plant
need a rest for several weeks. This means that the
temperature should be kept on the lower end of the range,
55 - 60 degrees.
As far as watering, they need to be kept moist but not wet
during their growing season. The growing period is during
the development of the pseudopods which are flat and
when the inflorescence (flower spike). After this period
you should water only once a week.
Spider orchid plants do need both humidity and air
circulation. The humidity is between 50-70%. This is a little
higher than most orchids. For air circulation you can use a
small fan, but don't point the fan on the plant.
Now when you remember or see a spider you can imagine
the beautiful Brassia orchid plant.
About the Author
Sign up for tips in our monthly Orchid Newsletter and get your copy of "All About Orchids" e-book and your 10% Discount on an orchid. http://www.orchids-plus-more.com/orchidaeae.html
Bob has become fascinated with orchids. Once it gets into your bloodstream it's hard to turn it off. Over a year ago I developed Orchids Plus More Web site full with information and also our Orchid Store.
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| Some other articles by Bob Roy | |
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