Circe

Brassia sp

Spider orchid

• 
  Flowering
• 
  Bright light
• 
  Scented

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• Circe likes...

  • 

    Light watering

    Water Circe freely throughout the year. A good way to tell if she needs a drink is if her pot feels very light or her roots are silvery grey. Water less in winter.

  • 

    Bright light

    Pop your orchid in a bright room but not in direct sunlight. Try to mimic the filtered, dappled light of a tree top.

  • 

    Humidity

    Like all orchids with their tropical origins, Circe will prefer a more humid spot. Ideally in a bright bathroom or on a kitchen windowsill near the sink or kettle.

• Quick facts

  Botanical name

  Brassia sp

  Nickname

  Spider orchid

  Plant type

  Indoor flowering

  Plant height (including pot)

  50-60cm

  Pet/baby safe

  Yes

  Nursery pot size

  12cm

• About Spider orchid

  Brassia orchids, known commonly as spider orchids because of their multiple flowers with what appear to be long spindly legs, are native to the Americas and found throughout the neotropics, from Mexico and Bolivia to the West Indies. They’re epiphytes which means they grow attached to larger trees with their aerial roots, through which they absorb rainfall runoff and humidity. 

  Their long flower stalks and weirdly wonderful scented flowers, which are a vibrant orange decorated with camouflaged brown markings, grow from what are called pseudobulbs. From each bulb grows two-to-three strappy leaves. To encourage your Spider orchid to flower, keep it warm (between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius) and give it some orchid food regularly throughout the growing season, from April through to October. 

  Your Spider orchid will be grown in a very specific orchid compost made up of charcoal, bark, moss and other free-draining, purifying materials. Although your orchid will grow happily in its existing pot for a few years – they like a snug fit – you’ll know it’s time to repot it when its roots are spilling over the edge of the pot or it looks like there’s hardly any compost left. 

  Did you know?

  Brassia orchids use mimicry to aid their pollination. Thinking they’re prey, female spider-hunter wasps sting the lip of the orchid and while grappling with the flower, the orchid’s pollen sticks to their head.