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Orchidaceae
Lycaste Orchid
Lycaste aromatica
Warm spiced sweetness.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Lycaste
- Native to
- Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Central America
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- perennial epiphytic orchid
- Height
- 1-2 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade
- Soil
- orchid bark mix, well-drained
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 10-12
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Lycaste aromatica is named for its remarkably strong, pleasant cinnamon-like fragrance — the scent is produced by the sepals and is so powerful that a single blooming plant can perfume an entire greenhouse.
- The genus was named by the Scottish botanist John Lindley in 1843 after Lycaste of Troy, one of Priam's daughters, reflecting the Victorian fashion for naming newly discovered orchids after classical figures.
- Unlike many orchids that produce one flower per spike, each pseudobulb of Lycaste aromatica can produce multiple flower spikes simultaneously from the base, creating an abundant display of golden yellow blooms.
- Lycaste orchids are deciduous — the large, pleated leaves fall in winter, leaving spiky pseudobulbs bare; this is when they produce their flowers, ensuring pollinators can see the blooms unobstructed.
- The triangular structure formed by the three spreading sepals is diagnostic for the genus; the true petals form a hood over the column, and the complex lip with three lobes guides pollinators to the pollen precisely.
Color meanings
0
warmth
1
sweetness
2
pleasant surprise