Star orchid (Epidendrum)

pot with a planted red flower orchid

Epidendrum, one of the most precious orchids, within whose family there are 1000 other species. According to the greatest connoisseurs of botany, this type of orchids are at a higher level in quality than many others and require certain special care to develop in the best way.

Therefore, if you want to grow a specimen of this type of plant, you should read the information that we will give you in this article. When we refer to Epidendrum, we are talking about a particular type of plants included within this genus, belonging to the family of the Orchidaceae.

What is Epidendrum?

beautiful image of an Epidendrum Orchid

It would be difficult to name the number of subspecies there are, since as we have told you there are around a thousand, but among the best known are the Epidendrum radicals, Epidendrum acuminatum, Epidendrum compressum, Epidendrum secundum, Epidendrum magnoliae.

Description

By its shape, it can get to receive the vulgar name of orchid star or perhaps star of fire. The first characteristic that stands out to this type of plants above all the rest of those found in the orchid family, is that it is not epiphytic, so you will only see it in specimens that are grown in the ground.

Regarding its stems, these are erect and they can give the plant a height of around one meter and 1,5 meters approximately. The leaves of this plant are presented alternately, in a color very similar to that of its stem, which can be seen more in an intense green color.

These are shown to be thick enough and have a shape that falls between elliptical and oval.  The first thing you will see when this orchid blooms are the large inflorescences, which are of considerable size and they can even show dozens of small flowers.

These will become the most beautiful flowers, which will have an intense color that will go from red to orange and it will be a good period of time that these are on the plant without problems.

This flowering step is not unique in the year and can be repeated in a whimsical manner for several times a year, so it would be very common for you to enjoy precious orchids more than once per season.

Care

The beauty of this orchid it costs certain care and environmental characteristics with which you must count for it to develop in the best way. Here we will leave you a list with the best care:

Necessary light

It must be said that all the specimens that form this type of orchids, they are very likely to grow better in places with a higher luminosity. This means that they have to be found in well-lit places.

There are even some types that develop best in direct sunlight, but not all. If you see that your orchid is not developing in the correct way, it may happen that it is not receiving the necessary light.

Better watering for your flowering

Epidendrum orchid of a very vivid red color

It is a plant that needs some special care, for example in watering so that it blooms healthier. This period must be chosen by you, based on the humidity characteristics in the area where you have grown it, as well as the temperature.

This type of orchid is one that will develop better if its roots dry out completely between waterings, so this should be every approximately eight to ten days.

Temperature

As long as these orchids are at the right temperature, their growing conditions will be much better. A Epidendrum It does best when daytime temperatures are between 19 and 25 degrees Celsius.

The plant will survive at temperatures below these, but in those cases it is almost certain that it is not flowery. During the night, it can develop comfortably in the event that temperatures drop to 15 ° C.


Phalaenopsis are orchids that bloom in spring
You are interested in:
Characteristics, cultivation and care of orchids

Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.