Stelis nexipous

Stelis nexipous is one of our more floriferous stelis species with its packed upright spikes with relatively large deep red flowers. The plant is quite large for a stelis species with leaves up to 20cm long and flower spikes up to 30cm long.

The name ‘nexipous’ means duck’s foot and describes the shape of the flowers which is unlike any other stelis in our collection. The dense spikes are secund (all the flowers facing one way) giving a dramatic display that lasts for several months.

The species is native to Ecuador and Peru where it is found in forests from 700-2400m and as less of a cloud forest specialist than some of the genus, and so it is a strong rooting plant and robust species to grow.

We grow the species among our other Stelis in our Cloud Forest Greenhouse (min 12C) with plenty of water and summer shade.