Brassavola is named to honor a famous Italian physician and botanist, Antonio Musa Brassavola. This orchid is a genus that includes about 20 species, and has a close relation with the Cattleya family. The majority of Brassavola are epiphytes while some are lithophytes.
It is native to the tropical region of central and southern part of America including the Caribbean islands. “Lady of the night” is referred to Brassavola nodosa due to its intense fragrant at night. Some records show that Brassavola nodosa was the first orchid that has been successfully brought to and cultivated in Holland.
It is quite easy to recognize a Brassavola among other orchids. If you see a white flower with green colored, elongated and narrow sepals and petals it should be a Brassavola. The tips of the three upper sepals and two lateral petals are forming a pentagonal pattern or a star-shaped configuration. And if it spread a pleasant citrus smell at night, it is definitely a Brassavola orchid.
B. nodosa is a very easy orchid to grow, adapting to a wide range of conditions in cultivation. A large specimen plant may have dozens of flowers, making quite a display; but even a single flower spike is quite rewarding. It likes the same conditions cattleya and laelia orchids do, so if you can grow them successfully, this is a species to consider growing.
The most suitable temperature for a Brassavola to grow and bloom successfully should not be cooler than 55º – 65ºF or 13º – 18ºC during winter nights and between 65º – 75ºF or 18º – 24ºC during the day.
Light is the most critical factor in caring for this orchid. With sufficient light the leaves will normally produce red spots which you can notice above the green background of the leaf. If it does not show any red spot, then you should move your orchid to another place with brighter light.
Brassavola is a wonderful addition to an orchid collection but it often becomes unruly in a pot. Its thin pseudobulbs are topped with rigid terete leaves that are often pointy and sharp at the end. These pseudobulbs have a habit of growing every which way at random rather than the more controlled growth patterns of other orchids. They will happily crawl out, over, and around the side of a pot. In addition, Brassavola Nodosa can quickly grow ill in pot culture if the media becomes too sodden for too long.
Brassavola are generally a beginner's level orchid in terms of their difficulty to grow. This is mainly because they are more drought tolerant than many species and can handle more neglect than fussier species. Unfortunately, for such an easy orchid with so many great attributes, they are woefully under-represented in the mainstream orchid trade. Look for Brassavola orchids at specialty greenhouses, orchid shows or consider purchasing them online. Brassavola are fast-growing orchids and will quickly begin to yield divisions to increase your collection or make your orchid-loving friends very happy.
Potting and Media:
Brassavola adapt well to mounted culture and will thrive mounted on fern plaques or in mounted baskets. Basket-grown Brassavola can quickly outgrow their original basket and form a specimen plant that completely covers the original container. Don't bother repotting or remounting larger Brassavola, but feel free to take divisions and rapidly multiply your plant stock. If you're potting them in containers, use a standard fast-draining orchid mix, such as those composed of expanded clay pellets, charcoal and pine bark chips.
Happy growing!
