This week we have been repotting and propagating some of our restrepias including this wonderful South American species.

Restrepia antenifera ‘gigantea’ is our largest growing Restrepia species and it carries enormous (for restrepias) flowers with a 3cm long synsepal. Restrepia antenifera is the type species for the genus and is found in cool forests, usually on trunks, from 1600 to 3500m altitude in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. We also have a smaller clone with flowers just under 2cm long.

We find the species does well in pots, baskets or mounted but can get a little straggly as it grows new plants (keikis) on top of its leaves. This does however make propagation easy.