Wikimedia Commons
Orchidaceae
Crucifix Orchid
Epidendrum radicans
Steady devotion, tropical loyalty, undying love.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Epidendrum
- Native to
- Mexico, Central America
- Bloom season
- Year-Round
- Type
- Tropical reed orchid
- Height
- 60–150 cm (2–5 ft)
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Loose, well-drained, gritty
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- The crucifix orchid blooms nonstop, producing fresh clusters of flowers continuously throughout the year—no other orchid in cultivation flowers as relentlessly.
- It got its common name from the lip of each flower, which has three lobes shaped exactly like a small Christian cross or crucifix at the throat.
- Crucifix orchids are 'reed orchids'—they grow upright like bamboo rather than dangling from trees, and they tolerate full sun and modest neglect, making them the easiest orchid for tropical gardeners.
- There are about 1,500 species of Epidendrum, all native to the New World tropics, from Florida and Mexico through the Andes to northern Argentina—the largest orchid genus in the Americas.
- Mexican villagers traditionally tied bundles of flowering crucifix orchids over doorways during Holy Week as a folk Easter decoration.
Color meanings
0
steady devotion
1
tropical loyalty
2
constant beauty