Lycaste aromatica

Also known as: The Sweet Scented Lycaste or Colax aromaticus Lycaste aromatica var. retroflexa Lycaste aromatica var. hartleyorum Lycaste aromatica var. hartleyi Lycaste aromatica var. retusa Lycaste aromatica var. punctata in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Belize Colima - Mexico Guatemala Guerrero - Mexico Honduras Puebla - Mexico Tamaulipas - Mexico

General Information

The Sweet Scented Lycaste is a large sympodial cool to warm growing epiphytic, lithophytic or terrestrial orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 60cm. Each new growth has numerous erect rigid, lance shaped leaves that grow to 10-55cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 0.3-15cm

Flowers

Numerous fragrant blossoms appear

Fragrance

The orchid is fragrant.

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Fine
• Bark
• Charcoal
• Spaghnum Moss
• Perlite

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 low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 1mm to 203mm per day, heaviest in June and lightest in March. Humidity ranges from 63% to 79%, highest in September and lowest in April. Temperature ranges from 13C to 28C, highest in April (18C to 28C) and lowest in January (13C to 23C).

Fertiliser

dormant-medium-demand-orchid 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

This orchid prefers a fine, well draining media. Avoid commercial potting mixes as they may have 'wetting agents' that retain water for too long. A simple mix made up of 20% sand, 50% peat or moss, with the remaining 30% made up of decomposed bark and leaf litter would be adequate. Adding some charcoal to the mix will also help it last longer.

Repotting depends on how wet the media is usually. Every 2-3 years would suffice, or whenever the media shows signs of clumping, staying wet for too long, or smells foul.  

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