Brassia maculata orchid is also called The Spotted Brassia.
Synonyms:
Brassia guttata Lindley 1842
Brassia maculata var. guttata (Lindl.) Lindl. 1854
Brassia wraye Skinner 1843
Oncidium brassia Rchb.f 1863
It is a species of the genus Brassia. This species was first described by Robert Brown in 1813.
Brassia maculata orchid is native to Carabbian (Jamaica, Syon Gardens), Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, Ocosingo), Belize (Cayo, Stann Creek, Toledo), Guatemala (Petèn, Santa Rosa), Honduras (Comayagua, San Luis), El Salvador (Ahuachapàn), Nicaragua (Nueva Segovia), in detritus, on rocks at altitudes till 750 meters.
This plant is a large, hot to warm growing epiphyte and occasional lithophyte, which can reach a height of one meter. This species blooms in the spring with few to many large, waxy, long-lived fragrant flowers. The flowers, which can bloom up to 4 weeks. The flowers smell light and are 12,5 to 20 cm in size.
Light:
The plant needs filtered or diffused light, direct sunlight can burn the leaves and case the plant dead. Always ensure good air circulation. It is important that the air around the orchid remains sufficiently in motion.
Temperature:
Brassia maculata is an orchid that should be grown moderately-warm temperature. In summer, the average daily temperature is more than 28-29°C, and the night temperature is more than 22°C, which gives a daily difference of 7°C. The temperature should never be below 15°C in winter.
Humidity:
Average humidity is about 80% throughout the year. A high humidity is appreciated by this orchid, but B. maculata can tolerates a significant drop in air humidity during the day with increasing temperature. Make sure that during the night the air humidity becomes high again. This is a good argument in itself to lower the temperature at night.
Cultivate and growing medium:
Plants can be grown in containers with good drainage or on blocks of cork or tree fern. Plants grown on blocks require high humidity. In summer, they should be watered at least once a day. In hot and dry weather, plants should be watered several times a day. Some growers believe that it is difficult to provide high humidity with this growing method, so often these plants are grown in pots or baskets using a loose, fast drying substrate, for example, cut tree fern fibers. To this mixture, materials for loosening the substrate are often added, which at the same time retain a part of the moisture, for example, perlite and cut moss sphagnum. Charcoal is often added for aeration of the substrate and protection from souring.
Watering:
In nature, precipitation is abundant for almost the entire year, with a 2-3-month drier period at the end of winter and early spring. In plant culture, it is necessary to water abundantly during a period of active growth, while good drainage should be ensured so that the substrate near the roots does not decompose and does not soak. When new growths reach maturity in autumn, watering should be reduced, but then it must be ensured that the pseudobulbs do not shrivel.
Fertilizer:
This orchid will thank you if it is immersed once every 3 to 4 weeks during the growing season in a solution of 1 gram of fertilizer per 1 liter of water. Many growers use a balanced fertilizer throughout the year. And some of them use fertilizers with a high nitrogen content from spring to mid-summer, and at the end of summer and fall they switch to a fertilizer with a high content of phosphorus.
Rest period:
In winter, the average daily temperature is more than 25-26°C, night at 17-18°C, with an amplitude of 7-8°C. At the end of winter and early spring (2-3 months), precipitation is less in nature. Extra moisture is given by abundant dew and morning fogs. Cultivated plants require less water in winter, especially if they grow in conditions of a dark short day, characteristic of temperate latitudes. However, the substrate should not dry out. When reducing watering, it is necessary to limit or completely exclude the introduction of fertilizers.