What Does A Brassia Orchid Plant And A Spider Have In Common?

by Robert 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.

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