The Brassia species, abbreviated as Brs., has over 30 named species of Brassia within the orchid genus (type) of the Oncidium orchid. It also has more than 300 hybrids originating from Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil and the Caribbean regions. William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator collected plants in Africa and eventually the Brassia orchid was named after him.

With attentive care, the Brassia can be successfully cultivated on an indoor windowsill receiving indirect bright light, my favorite place for this stunningly graceful cascading orchid. You can’t pass this group of flowers without noticing them. Some blooms are mostly yellow to chartreuse. Some can look like yellow and dark chocolate soldiers all lined up the stem and the flowers turn bright orange as they mature. Others are light green fragrant spiders with black markings on their lips.

These unusual but beautiful plants have characteristic long and spreading tepals (outer part of the flower which includes some petals) which can be longer than 20 inches. This has lead to them being called “spider orchid.” The term tepal is often applied when all segments of the bloom are of a similar shape and color. When the different parts of the bloom can be distinguished from each other, they are referred to as petals and sepals separately. In typical modern flowers, the first whorl (arrangement) of organs forms the sepals for protection of the bud as it develops, while the second whorl forms the petals, which is what actually attracts the pollinators, the insects partial to this type of flower. This is also typical of lilies. In tulips, both the tepals and petals are structured to look the same; they’re fused at the base to look like one flower.

Whether the plant is cane-like (meaning it has many joints) or spherical (one or only a couple of joints), the flowers are all produced from a rhizome (creeping stem) which may be climbing or pendulous which has also led to them being called a spider orchid. The blooms themselves have relatively short lives, from one to five years. However, they are continually produced from the growing tip of the long and creeping stem called the rhizome. So as the plant grows, you’ll get new blooms.

Brassia orchids have a very specific way of being pollinated, normally by female spider-hunter wasps. The wasp stings the lip of the bloom while trying to grasp its prey. These movements cause the wasp to contact the pollinarium that sticks to its head. The wasp flies to another Brassia flower and transfers the pollen.

It’s easy to pot these gorgeous orchids. You’ll have some of the supplies in your kitchen. You’ll need a plant, of course, a flowerpot, measuring cup and spoon, a bucket, the orchid potting mix and horticultural charcoal. All I do is to dump the soil free potting mix into the pot until it’s within an inch of the top rim. Then I remove the potting mix from the flowerpot one cup at a time. You need to count the cups as you place the potting mixture into a bucket. Add one tablespoon of a horticultural charcoal for each cup and stir by hand to mix well. Add one tablespoon of water per cup and stir again until the mix is slightly damp. By the way, if you withhold water a bit as the bulbs mature, it will help foster flowering.

Pour most the mix back into the flower pot. Gently separate the roots of the Brassia by hand and set the center of the orchid on top of the elevated mound of potting mix. Spread the roots out, then down the sides of the mound. Cover the roots with more of the potting mix and gently tamp down to hold the plant in place. Fill the pot to within one inch of the rim again and you’re all set to set it on whatever window sill you have waiting for it. I chose a window in the dining room that has no furniture underneath it so that the stems can hang down the wall beneath. You’ll find you don’t need any other art work in that room. Nature surpasses it all.

Additional very interesting articles about the Brassia orchids can be found at the following links:

- Orchid of the Week: Brassia Arcuigera

- Brassia Orchid Types

- What Does a Spider and a Brassia Orchid Plant Have in Common?

- Orchid with Spider Shaped Flowers

The video below is a stunning display of a Brassia orchid opening up it bloom.
Simply beautiful!

For further information about growing orchids, their various types and the supplies which are needed can be found in our other articles right here at Orchid Care.org.

Filed under: Orchid Species

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