Brassavola orchids data:

• Sympodial
• Epidendrum Group (Epidendrum Subfamily)
• Subtribe: Laeliinae

• Species: b. acaulis, b. cebolleta, b. cordata, b. cucullata, b. digbyana, b. flagellaris, b. fragrans, b. martiana, b. nodosa, b. retusa, b. venosa,  b. tuberculata (b. perrinii)
• Hybrids

• Light: Medium to High
• Temperature: Warm to intermediate
• Humidity, water and fertilization
• Potting and media

• Flowering: Summer to fall
• Care: Beginner
• Good introductory species: Brassavola nodosa

Some of the easiest orchids to grow are found among the 17 compact species of Brassavola. This Cattleya Alliance genus is native to moist lowland forests of tropical Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Their star-shaped flowers are deliciously fragrant at night, but the scent becomes almost imperceptible shortly after daybreak; such as the well-known Lady of the Night (Brassavola nodosa), and most bloom between summer and fall, althought Brassavola nodosa in particular can be almost everblooming. The plants have thin cylindrical pseudobulbs with long terete leaves.

Easily grown with cattleyas and laelias, brassavolas demand plenty of light but tolerate humidity as low as 40 percent. Propagate plants by division after flowering.

Brassavola was named to honor a 16th-century Venetian botanist, Sr. Antonio Musa Brassavola.

How to Grow

Easy Brassavola need intermediate to warm temperatures (55º-65ºF winter nights; summer day maximum of 86ºF) and the medium to high-light conditions of a southern windowsill. This is the most important requirement: adequate light. With the proper exposure, Brassavola leaves develop red freckles that can be seen over the green background. If your plants don’t have freckles, move them to a brighter location.

You can raise them in pots or slatted baskets, but excellent drainage is also important, wich is why I prefer mounts. Their drought tolerance makes mounted Brassavolas easier to handle indoors than most other orchids. The thick white roots will soak up enough water to keep the leaves turgid if you soak the plants for fifteen minutes once or twice a week.  Extra humidity from misting and humidity trays during growth periods will give better bloom.

Fertilize regularly while they are growing, and let the plants dry between waterings. After bloom, reduce water for several weeks, but don’t allow the pseudobulbs to shrivel. Rather than dividing them, grow the plants into large specimens of many growths and flowers.

The plants will readily produce more than one flush of growth per season, and the rhizomes branch freely, so it does not take too long to grow specimen-sized Brassavolas.