# Brassia caudata



## mrhappyrotter (May 3, 2015)

Brassia caudata

I repotted this late season last year, and that might've been the wrong time of year for that. The roots handled the transition quite well, and seem to enjoy my "phrag mix", but the new growth came out short and stunted. I've seen this happen on my other brassia, and the remedy is usually to give the plants lower light when they are putting out new growths.

That aside, this is an amazing, compact Brassia and apparently a native species in North America. The flowers are proportionally large, and have the classic long-legged spider appearance, versus the smaller, more starry appearance of other Brassia species. This is the typical form, though there's a (these days seemingly more common in the U.S.) alba form that's quite popular.

This is one of the stronger fragrant plants in my collection. Pleasant, like perfumy baby powder in a way, but definitely distinct from it. I can't think of any other way to describe it.

As I mentioned, I've got it potted in my phrag mix, which is airy and water retentive, though I grow this plant hanging, so the mix gets a chance to air out a little between waterings. I've had it 4 - 6 inches under the t8s and later under a CFL for lighting, though I plan to move it further from the bulb and grow it shadier from now on. I don't do anything I regard as special to bloom it.


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## SlipperFan (May 3, 2015)

Nice flowers. Is it fragrant?


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## Migrant13 (May 4, 2015)

That's a nice one. Good growing!


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## NYEric (May 4, 2015)

SlipperFan said:


> Nice flowers. Is it fragrant?



This!


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## mrhappyrotter (May 4, 2015)

SlipperFan said:


> Nice flowers. Is it fragrant?



Oh yes, very fragrant. It's a pleasant scent, though it's hard to put a description on it. It definitely doesn't smell like most other Brassias.


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 4, 2015)

I love this one too. I grew it in Florida for a number of years and looked for it in vain for years in the Everglades. The last reliable report was in the mid 70's just within Everglades N.P. but apparently the terrible freeze of '77 took out the remaining few plants. It was supposedly more common earlier in the century in the hammock forests around Homestead/Florida City. I guess it is possible a few still exist out in some inaccessible hammock deep in the 'Glades or perhaps in the buttonwood forests along Florida Bay. Let's hope so!


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## SlipperFan (May 4, 2015)

NYEric said:


> This!


Oops -- I missed that at first reading.


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## MaryPientka (May 5, 2015)

Beautiful!


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