Brassavola Nodosa – Lady of The Night Orchid

Brassavola nodosa

Brassavola nodosa is a small, tough species of orchid native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America. It is also known as Lady of The Night Orchid due to its citrus and gardenia-like fragrance which begins in the early evening. These fast-growing plants can be purchased year-round. They are frequent bloomers, with the heaviest blooms in the fall or winter. What their flowers lack in size but they make up for in sheer quantity.

The white to pale green flowers are usually about 3 inches in diameter and wonderfully fragrant in the evening. Each flower has long, slender sepals and petals, and a large, heart-shaped lip on the tubular lower petal. The lip may have purple or dark red spotting inside the tube. The Lady of The Night Orchid is known for its exceptionally strong fragrance, which is emitted primarily after dark to attract night-pollinating moths.

These are not especially challenging orchids to grow—if you can grow any of the epiphytic orchids with success, you can grow these. They grow readily in baskets, mounted, or in containers with a soil-less orchid mix.