Xylobium variegatum is another of our fragrant orchid species with lots of flowers produced on short crowded spikes with appealing creamy spotted flowers with a deep red lip.

Xylobium variegatum  is reported as a variable species found from Costa Rica right through South America to Peru, and from warm lowland forests to cool montane forests – information that has encouraged us to try growing the species in a range of conditions and we have found that our plants prefer cooler temperatures but dryer conditions than we generally provide in our Cool Americas section. We also find that flowers damage if watered so well worth putting on a shelf when the lovely flowers appear.

The flowers are very reminiscent of the flowers of some Eria species from Asia  (see Eria amica below) and this probably represents a good example of parallel evolution on oposite sides of the world.