Here is something special for Christmas eve. This restrepia species stands out with extra large 5cm flowers and the most startling deep red/pink synsepal (the fused lateral sepals that form the main part of restrepia flowers) that to me makes it look properly Christmassy.

Like most of our restrepias this species flowers on and off throughout the year but its main burst of flowering comes in the winter. The individual flowers last about a week and so the flowers that were out for Orchid Christmas on December 13th are over but a new flush has taken over.

Restrepia radulifera is native to Venezuelan cloud forests at around 2500m altitude and so cool damp and shady are the culture requirements. We grow the species mounted, in baskets and in pots. Restrepia species are very variable in colouring especially as this is produced by spots and stripes and so a fantastic diverse little collection can be housed in a tiny space and we know several of our regular customers who succeed very well with restrepias indoors or in terrariums.