Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Conservatory GreenhouseHouseplants

Maxillaria porphyrostele

An epiphytic, evergreen orchid producing a clump of small, round or egg-shaped pseudobulbs. Each pseudobulb carries two narrow, leathery, linear leaves up to 40cm long and 0.5cm wide. In late autumn and winter, flowering stems emerge from the base of the pseudobulbs. Each stem up to 15cm long carries single, fragrant flowers. Long-lasting flowers are approximately 4cm across, yellow with white lip and purple or maroon-striped throat. Mature plants grown in optimal conditions often produce large numbers of flowering stems, flowering simultaneuosly amidst the leaves

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Moisture

Well–drained, Moist but well–drained

pH

Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

H1B

Botanical details

Family: Orchidaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Clump forming, Tufted
Genus: A large, diverse genus of mainly epiphytic, tropical orchids, producing a clump of small, elliptic or egg-shaped pseudobulbs. Pseudobulbs are thickened basal parts of stem, serving as a storage of water and nutrients
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Brazil

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in an open, free-draining, medium-grade, bark-based orchid mix with addition of perlite, sphagnum moss or coir from sustainable sources. Provide day temperatures around 18-20°C and 14-16°C at night. Provide good light levels, but avoid direct sunlight. Water plants thoroughly when compost is almost dry, allow to drain and use orchid fertiliser regularly during growing season. See also indoor orchid cultivation

Propagation

Propagation by seed is only possible in a controlled laboratory environment. Mature plants may be divided in early or mid spring, when the plant overgrows its container. Each division should have at least 3-4 healthy, older pseudobulbs with a sufficient amount of stored energy and water, to support new growth and reduce stress after repotting

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Houseplants
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, glasshouse red spider mite, scale insects and mealybugs

Diseases

May be susceptible to bacterial infections casued by poor air movement and soggy potting mix but generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.