Habenaria orchids

Habenaria is a large terrestrial orchid genus with around eight hundred species distributed across the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Plants grow from underground tubers, produce seasonal leafy shoots, flower, and die back to the tubers for dormancy. The flowers have elaborate lips that are often divided into finger-like lobes, and flower colours range from white through yellow and green to occasional pinks and oranges.

Cultivation is unusual for orchids in that the dormancy management is central: plants must be kept dry during their resting phase (with the tubers in the pot) and then resumed only when temperature and light cues trigger new growth. Get the dormancy right and Habenarias bloom reliably; get it wrong and the tubers rot.

General care for the genus (species, hybrids and cultivars vary, so check with the grower for a specific plant): warm growing season (18 to 30 °C), cool dry dormancy (10 to 18 °C), medium to bright light during growth, 50 to 70 percent humidity, terrestrial mix of coarse bark with added perlite, pumice, and organic matter. Water heavily during growth, stop completely during dormancy.

Species include Pecteilis radiata (the "white egret flower" prized in Japan, still widely sold as Habenaria radiata), Habenaria rhodocheila, Habenaria medusa, and Habenaria carnea. Listings below come from the nurseries we index, most of them re-checked nightly; prices are shown in USD.