Well, well, well... what an awkward situation... (I'd really love to add the Maleficent GIF somewhere here).
I should tell you the whole story from the beginning, although if you followed my YouTube channel you should know how it started; anyway in the start this orchid was expected to be something else. A totally different genre, cross, hybrid, family - you name it. When it formed a flower spike I was soo excited and then the buds, one by one, from pale green/white started turning deep purple and I panicked. Because what on earth is happening, it's not supposed be this color, why are there markings on the outside of the leaf. Oh my God!
So, back to the matter at hand, this orchid is far away from the Aliceara I expected... and it's much much more than I could have hoped for!
Miltassia Cairns "New River" (sometimes mistakenly named as Cairus) is a complex sympodial growing type orchid, with parents coming from both Miltonias and Brassia orchids. For those interested Cairns is a city in Australia named in the honor of William Wellington Cairns who was a Governor of Queensland at the time (1876).
Supposedly a cross of Miltassia Star Fighter and Miltonia Minas Gerais in 1991, however there are 4 different crosses and there seem to be some confusion on the internet resources as different people, websites and societies claim something different.
Nevertheless I will take for granted that the clone I grow is the Cairns " New River" as I can't establish how truly the others look like.
The plant has very big flowers, star shaped, 5.5 inches across with a interesting coloring. First of all the flowers open as deep purple, with a stronger redish tint than blue. However in time the petals will turn into a warm brown, and the markings will be more visible. The lip however is light pink with a lovely waterfall pattern. The orchid is scented and it's a very heavy spice and dark chocolate fragrance.
The orchid has very big and plump pseudo-bulbs, and by saying big i mean around 6 inches tall with foliage going up in another 20 inches to 22 inches depending on the age of the plant. It is not a orchid for someone who is trying to save up some space, it is large and will take a lot of space.
This orchid has a very strong growth pattern and once it establishes itself in the pot its roots will fill it up completely, and trust me when I say that as after 8 months of growth in a new pot the roots cover almost every space in the pot thus it is advisable to re-pot every year to avoid unnecessary clumping of the roots and problems.
When you read this you probably think, lot of roots means that it needs a lot of water. Yes it does, I growth this miltassia in a smaller grade bark and water it twice a week leaving for at least 15 minutes to soak. If the orchid gets to dry the leaves will shrivel and create an accordion pattern.
Because of the vigorous growth pattern it's best to fertilize every other week and use a orchid mist with nuitrients.
It doesn't like strong sun, so a light but not sunny position will be good to avoid burning of the leaf, best would be a south or south east position - or one where the sun is only in the morning or after 4 pm in the afternoon.
The temperatures are quite important as it is a intermediate temperature plant and it will feel comfortable in room temperatures but with some slight drops in the night. To hot and the plant will suffer.
It should be easily accessible in Orchideen Wichmann (where I got my mislabeled one)
I should tell you the whole story from the beginning, although if you followed my YouTube channel you should know how it started; anyway in the start this orchid was expected to be something else. A totally different genre, cross, hybrid, family - you name it. When it formed a flower spike I was soo excited and then the buds, one by one, from pale green/white started turning deep purple and I panicked. Because what on earth is happening, it's not supposed be this color, why are there markings on the outside of the leaf. Oh my God!
So, back to the matter at hand, this orchid is far away from the Aliceara I expected... and it's much much more than I could have hoped for!
Miltassia Cairns "New River" (sometimes mistakenly named as Cairus) is a complex sympodial growing type orchid, with parents coming from both Miltonias and Brassia orchids. For those interested Cairns is a city in Australia named in the honor of William Wellington Cairns who was a Governor of Queensland at the time (1876).
Supposedly a cross of Miltassia Star Fighter and Miltonia Minas Gerais in 1991, however there are 4 different crosses and there seem to be some confusion on the internet resources as different people, websites and societies claim something different.
Nevertheless I will take for granted that the clone I grow is the Cairns " New River" as I can't establish how truly the others look like.
The plant has very big flowers, star shaped, 5.5 inches across with a interesting coloring. First of all the flowers open as deep purple, with a stronger redish tint than blue. However in time the petals will turn into a warm brown, and the markings will be more visible. The lip however is light pink with a lovely waterfall pattern. The orchid is scented and it's a very heavy spice and dark chocolate fragrance.
The orchid has very big and plump pseudo-bulbs, and by saying big i mean around 6 inches tall with foliage going up in another 20 inches to 22 inches depending on the age of the plant. It is not a orchid for someone who is trying to save up some space, it is large and will take a lot of space.
This orchid has a very strong growth pattern and once it establishes itself in the pot its roots will fill it up completely, and trust me when I say that as after 8 months of growth in a new pot the roots cover almost every space in the pot thus it is advisable to re-pot every year to avoid unnecessary clumping of the roots and problems.
When you read this you probably think, lot of roots means that it needs a lot of water. Yes it does, I growth this miltassia in a smaller grade bark and water it twice a week leaving for at least 15 minutes to soak. If the orchid gets to dry the leaves will shrivel and create an accordion pattern.
Because of the vigorous growth pattern it's best to fertilize every other week and use a orchid mist with nuitrients.
It doesn't like strong sun, so a light but not sunny position will be good to avoid burning of the leaf, best would be a south or south east position - or one where the sun is only in the morning or after 4 pm in the afternoon.
The temperatures are quite important as it is a intermediate temperature plant and it will feel comfortable in room temperatures but with some slight drops in the night. To hot and the plant will suffer.
It should be easily accessible in Orchideen Wichmann (where I got my mislabeled one)
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Some pictures presented in this article may not belong to me and are a property of their respectable owners.
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