Brassavolas are one of the very old, showy orchids, with a almost Victorian charm to them. Bearing a single star shaped flower, which has a heavy late evening perfume to it.
This beautiful species was originally classified and named in 1813 by Robert Brown, who was a Scottish botanist, and he dedicated the species name to the famous Italian physician and scientist Antonio Musa Brassavola.
That's that about history, let's get back to the matter at hand, Brassavola David Sander hybrid is a child of Brassavola cuculata and Brassavola digbyana. It combines the beauty of both. It hold the wide star spread petals of b.cuculata, and the delicate feathery fringe from digbyana.
The hybrid has the typical and lovely brassavola foliage that reminds me of pine needles, or how growers call them "pencils". And they are lovely this way. Something peculiar about their beauty and elegant shape, why? Cattleyas have a tendency to be very ugly plants when not in flower. The foliage, and growth of the bulbs is very unruly, messy and their shape is just non attractive. Then compare brassavolas, they have a quite uniform growth pattern, sharp foliage and clump nicely very closely to each other creating beautiful groups that when in flower are quite a sight.
Brassavolas are famous for their late evening and night fragrance, when I say famous I mean a single flower can fill the room with a heady aroma that is incomparable to anything in the flower world. Therefore if having more than one flower, make sure you dont keep the plant in a small room - headaches will be likely.
When it comes to care it's very similar to any cattleya, meaning they like good light, however check first what is your geographical location, as it can be that your light is too strong for them (especially if you live close to the equator.)
They also like to be watered well and get a chance to dry out between watering, if the plant is suffering you will notice the telltale sings on the shrivelling surface of the foliage. Also they like to be fertilised well same as any other cattleya family orchid.
These plants are very resilient, because of the large surface of the bulb which is basically the leaf they can store slightly more nutrients than a ordinary catt, therefore are more likely to survive draught, and produce new growths after disease, damage and other problems.
They are also more likely to flower, since an adult bulb comes with a sheath and with the right environment it will flower.
When it comes to buying one, well this is a pickle, because this particular hybrid is getting rarer and rarer nowadays, keep an eye on eBay, or online nurseries.
This beautiful species was originally classified and named in 1813 by Robert Brown, who was a Scottish botanist, and he dedicated the species name to the famous Italian physician and scientist Antonio Musa Brassavola.
That's that about history, let's get back to the matter at hand, Brassavola David Sander hybrid is a child of Brassavola cuculata and Brassavola digbyana. It combines the beauty of both. It hold the wide star spread petals of b.cuculata, and the delicate feathery fringe from digbyana.
The hybrid has the typical and lovely brassavola foliage that reminds me of pine needles, or how growers call them "pencils". And they are lovely this way. Something peculiar about their beauty and elegant shape, why? Cattleyas have a tendency to be very ugly plants when not in flower. The foliage, and growth of the bulbs is very unruly, messy and their shape is just non attractive. Then compare brassavolas, they have a quite uniform growth pattern, sharp foliage and clump nicely very closely to each other creating beautiful groups that when in flower are quite a sight.
Brassavolas are famous for their late evening and night fragrance, when I say famous I mean a single flower can fill the room with a heady aroma that is incomparable to anything in the flower world. Therefore if having more than one flower, make sure you dont keep the plant in a small room - headaches will be likely.
When it comes to care it's very similar to any cattleya, meaning they like good light, however check first what is your geographical location, as it can be that your light is too strong for them (especially if you live close to the equator.)
They also like to be watered well and get a chance to dry out between watering, if the plant is suffering you will notice the telltale sings on the shrivelling surface of the foliage. Also they like to be fertilised well same as any other cattleya family orchid.
These plants are very resilient, because of the large surface of the bulb which is basically the leaf they can store slightly more nutrients than a ordinary catt, therefore are more likely to survive draught, and produce new growths after disease, damage and other problems.
They are also more likely to flower, since an adult bulb comes with a sheath and with the right environment it will flower.
When it comes to buying one, well this is a pickle, because this particular hybrid is getting rarer and rarer nowadays, keep an eye on eBay, or online nurseries.
Oh my.... I just LOVE this one! Gotta have it....
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