spider orchid plant Spider Orchid

spider orchid plant Spider OrchidSpider Orchid Brassia. Shade may vary. Brassia (BRASS ee ah) orchids are often referred to as the Spider Orchid because the petals of the blooms are elongated, narrow, and spiky and resemble a spiders legs. Brassia orchids are a small genus of 30 to 40 species with numerous hybrids, and when it comes to Brassia orchid care, there are a few important things to know: The petals of the Brassia orchid are yellow or green in color with brown or maroon

Spider Orchid - Brassia. Shade may vary.

Brassia (BRASS-ee-ah) orchids are often referred to as the “Spider Orchid” because the petals of the blooms are elongated, narrow, and spiky and resemble a spider’s legs. Brassia orchids are a small genus of 30 to 40 species with numerous hybrids, and when it comes to Brassia orchid care, there are a few important things to know:

The petals of the Brassia orchid are yellow or green in color with brown or maroon striping or spotting. The lip is large and flowy and is white with some coloration. Flower spikes can grow to be quite long, and have many flowers alternating on each side of the spike.

The reason that the Brassia orchids look like spiders is to attract female spider wasps which are it’s pollinators. The Brassia’s blooms mimic the appearance of the spiders that these wasps hunt. When the female spider wasp goes in for the kill, she is instead covered in the Brassia flower’s pollen. She then goes on to her next target and the next Brassia orchid flower is subsequently pollinated.