Lycaste cruenta – Flowering plant

Lycaste cruenta (The Blood-Red Inner Lip Lycaste) is an ornamental flowering plant. It has greenish-yellow flowers with bright orange petals and labellum about 3 inches wide. They appear in spring in the flower stems up to 6 inches high, and there can be more than 20 flowers in one plant. They have a sweet scent resembling cinnamon in the evening. The leaves grow to 15 inches long and 6 inches wide and are shed before flowering. Lycaste cruenta has pseudobulbs up to 4 inches long and 2 inches wide.

Scientific classification:

Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Maxillarieae
Subtribe: Lycastinae
Genus: Lycaste
Species: L. cruenta

Scientific Name: Lycaste cruenta
Synonyms: Maxillaria cruenta, Lycaste balsamea, Maxillaria balsamea, Lycaste sulphurea, Lycaste rossiana.
Common Name: The Blood-Red Inner Lip Lycaste.

How to care and grow Lycaste cruenta?

Light:

It thrives best in bright sunlight but no direct, so during the midday solstice, they must be placed behind a curtain or in the shade of other plants. Direct sunlight should be avoided, which can cause leaf and plant problems.

Soil:

Lycaste cruenta grows well in humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil and fine potting mixes, such as 50-50 sphagnum moss and fine-grade fir bark.

Temperature:

It thrives best in warm temperature of between 60°F – 85°F / 15.5°C – 30°C whilst the evening temperature should be around 55°F – 60°F
/ 13°C – 15.5°C.

Humidity:

The humidity of 50-70% will be enough for normal growth and development of the plant. However, at temperatures above 27°C, it is desirable to increase the air humidity to at least 70%, since too dry air adversely affects the roots and leaves of the plant. A lot of fresh air and sufficient air circulation are recommended.

Re-Potting:

Re-pot your plant when necessary during the early spring through to the early summer. A small amount of root showing through the drainage holes is fine, but any-more than that then you should re-pot with a slightly larger pot.

Watering:

Lycaste cruenta prefers frequent and abundant watering throughout the year. Excess water during irrigation should flow freely from the pot since stagnation of water both inside the pot and in its pan can very quickly lead to rotting of the roots and the lower part of the plant. The substrate between waterings should dry well, but not dry completely. After watering, water from the leaves must be removed with a tissue.

Fertilizer:

Fertilize once every two weeks in the spring and summer, once every four weeks in the fall and winter with a balanced fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation:

Lycaste cruenta plant can be easily propagated by dividing an offshoot that has a good root system and pot each one individually.

Pests and Diseases:

It has no serious pest or disease problems. Watch for aphids and scale. Yellow Leaves can indicate that the plant is receiving too much light. Dark Green Leaves indicates that the plant is not receiving enough light.