General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also accent epiphyte.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A common epiphyte nearly throughout South Florida in a wide variety of ecosystems.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Epiphytic wildflower.
Dimensions: Leaves about 8-12 inches long. The flowering branches extend beyond the leaves.
Growth Rate: Slow.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north to Flagler, Putnam and Levy counties; Bahamas.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Forests and thickets.
Soils: Epiphytic; grows on the trunks and branches of trees and shrubs.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows on nutrient poor substrate..
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate; requires moist substrate and high humidity to thrive.
Light Requirements: Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color: Greenish- to reddish-brown with white and pink lip.
Flower Characteristics: Showy. Fragrant.
Flowering Season: Summer.
Fruit: Capsule containing numerous minute seeds. Dispersal is by wind.
Wildlife and Ecology: The flowers are primarily pollinated by bees.
Horticultural Notes: Primarily grown from seed in a sterilized flask.
Comments: Produces more flowers in the full sun. It is listed as commercially exploited by the state of Florida. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
