Lycaste orchids

Lycaste is a New World genus of around thirty species, native from Mexico through Central America to northern South America. Plants grow large fat pseudobulbs topped with broad pleated leaves that typically drop in winter, leaving the pseudobulbs bare. Flowers are triangular in outline, often waxy, and carried singly on tall stems that rise from the base of each pseudobulb — a well-grown plant can produce a dozen or more flowers at once around the base.

The genus is prized by collectors who want large striking blooms in shades of yellow, green, bronze, pink, and red. Most species are intermediate-cool growers and benefit from a distinct winter rest.

General care for the genus (species, hybrids and cultivars vary, so check with the grower for a specific plant): intermediate to cool temperatures (nights 12 to 16 °C during rest, up to 18 °C in growing season), medium to bright light (2,000 to 2,800 footcandles), heavy watering and feeding during active growth, much drier during winter dormancy. Medium fir bark with added perlite in generous pots.

Species include Lycaste skinneri (whose white form, the Monja Blanca, is the national flower of Guatemala), Lycaste aromatica, Lycaste cruenta, and Lycaste deppei. Hybrids and awarded cultivars abound. Listings below come from the nurseries we index, most of them re-checked nightly; prices are shown in USD.