Lophiaris cavendishiana

Also known as: Cavendish's Lophiaris in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Guatemala Nayarit - Mexico Oaxaca - Mexico Veracruz - Mexico

General Information

Cavendish's Lophiaris is a medium sized cool to warm growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Guatemala and Mexico. It is named after the English Orchid Enthusiast in the 19th century.

Plant Description

Grows to 45cm. Each new growth has a single leathery thick, erect, elliptic, lance shaped leaf that grows to 5-45cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 2cm

Flowers

Numerous fragrant blossoms appear

Fragrance

The orchid is fragrant.

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Bark
• Treefern
• Spaghnum Moss

Care Notes

This orchid goes into a dormancy phase during winter, during this phase it is best not to provide water unless the plant is starting to look thirsty. The lack of water increases the chance of flowering in spring, and also reduces the likelihood of any rot forming. Do not resume watering until new growth has appeared and is growing strongly.

Often a period of intense growth occurs after dormancy. During this time the amount of light, water and fertiliser the plant receives will directly impact the amount of growth that occurs during this time, and in the case of seedlings, will reduce the time required to reach maturity.

It's recommended to heavily reduce the water amount at the middle to end of autumn to trigger dormancy. Leaves on older bulbs will begin to drop during this time while the newer bulbs continue to mature until terminal leaves appear at the tip of the pseudobulbs.

Repotting can be done any time of the year though it's best to do it in early spring when new growth is appearing as this also means new roots will appear to help the plant anchor into the new media and offset any damage to established roots during the repotting process.

 

Fragrant:

• IsFragrant

Climate

Grows at high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 0mm to 279mm per day, heaviest in July and lightest in February. Humidity ranges from 72% to 84%, highest in September and lowest in February. Temperature ranges from 9C to 25C, highest in April (14C to 25C) and lowest in January (9C to 20C).

Fertiliser

dormant-medium-demand-orchid Use balanced fertiliser during Spring and Summer. Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. Use a high Nitrogen fertiliser during Spring and Summer. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer.

Potting

These plants are quite forgiving and will do well repotted ever 2-3 years. The mix should be coarse, well draining, and allow space for air to move and for roots to grow. 

Alternatively, these plants will also do well mounted to tree fern or cork slabs, or mounted to trees.

Best time for repotting or mounting the orchids is the end of winter when new growths start to appear. Avoid repotting during hot weather,

Use water retentive media such as moss to prevent roots from drying out quickly This plant does well mounted to Cork slabs. Repotting is best done annually.