Brassia arcuigera

Also known as: The Arching Brassia or Brassia lawrenceana var. longissima Brassia antherotes var. longissima Brassia longissima h.v. intermedia Brassia hinksoniana Brassia antherotes Brassia longissima in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Departamento del Huila - Colombia Panama Provincia de Alajuela - Costa Rica Provincia del Canar - Ecuador

General Information

The Arching Brassia is a large sympodial warm to hot growing epiphytic or terrestrial orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, and Ecuador.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 30-70cm. Each new growth has a single leathery arching, elliptic, lance shaped, oblong shaped leaf that grows to 4-55cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 2.5-16cm

Flowers

Numerous fragrant blossoms appear during Winter and Spring

Fragrance

The orchid is fragrant.

Blooming Season

• Spring
• Winter

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Bark

Care Notes

These orchids like to be watered regulary, especially during warm weather, and prefer a well draining mix or also do well mounted, provided they can be watered daily or even many times a day.

These are quite a forgiving orchid, there are no special requirements to get this orchid to flower, just good care and consistent conditions. Larger plants may be more fussy and can react poorly to change; a poorly timed repotting, a pest infection or an unusually hot day can set them back for a couple of years. However, even plants that have been treated poorly can thrive, and if they are set back they often recover much stronger then they would otherwise be.

Fragrant:

• IsFragrant

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 23mm to 249mm per day, heaviest in November and lightest in January. Humidity ranges from 71% to 86%, highest in September and lowest in March. Temperature ranges from 17C to 27C, highest in March (18C to 27C) and lowest in January (17C to 23C).

Watering

These orchids prefer a wet-dry cycle between waterings, they should be watered frequently but only when the moisture is approaching dryness, where the pot feels light and/or the media looks dry. Keep an eye on mounted orchids in warm weather as they may dehydrate quickly.

Fertiliser

These orchids do not need to be regularly fertilised and roots may be sensitive to salt build-up, dying back and therefore impairing the plants growth or even killing it.

If fertilising, use half to quarter of the recommended amount of fertiliser. If they receive fertiliser as part of a collection, be sure to flush out the pots regularly with fresh water and monitor the roots by checking how much resistance is given by the plant when nudged in its pot or mount. If the plant becomes wobbly or loose, repot in fresh mix or rinse the media/mount thoroughly and do not fertilise for at least 3 months.

Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. This plant is sensitive so apply fertiliser sparingly at one quarter recommended strength or less. Use a high Nitrogen fertiliser during Spring and Summer. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer.

Potting

These plants can be sensitive to repotting though should not require repotting regularly. Repotting should be done when the mix has broken down to the point that it doesn't absorb water or holds onto water for far too long, usually the plant shows a decline in growth as well.

The mix should be free draining, with a blend of 30% inorganic ingredients such as coarse sand, gravel or perlite, mixed in with about 70% organic ingredients such as peat, leaf litter or decomposed bark. Avoid commercial potting mixes as they can vary wildly and may contain "wetting agents" that can hold onto water for loo long, causing rotting and stunted growth.

This plant does very well in baskets or suspended pots This plant does well mounted to Cork slabs. Repotting is best done annually.