Maxillaria praestans

We happily describe Maxillaria preastans as our moist reliable maxillaria. Every summer the long lasting flowers add interest to greenhouse and visitors are fascinated by the very black lip on this dramatic orchid.

Maxillaria preastans is native to Mexico and Central America is found between 1500 and 2000m altitude in humid evergreen forest. We find that it grows well both cool and warm as long as it is kept well watered throughout the year. We grow this species in baskets and pots in our 'Cloud Forest Glasshouse' minimum 12C.

Single flowers are produced from the base of bulbs in summer and are large and showy with a distinctive black lip. Several flowers are produced from each bulb over a period of a few months making this a straight forward and rewarding species to grow. The flowers are long lasting and ensure a point of interest in the summer greenhouse.

We have noticed that wasps find our flowers particularly attractive and in the autumn when wasps become more common in the greenhouse several flowers get pollinated.