10/09/2026
❤️ Maxillaria variabilis ‘Red’ ❤️
🧬 Maxillaria variabilis — species
📍 Mexico through Central America
A beautiful colour form of this wonderfully variable species, ‘Red’ is prized for its rich red flowers and compact, spreading growth. The small flowers emerge individually from the base of the pseudobulbs and can appear in blooming flushes, with mature plants capable of producing flowers over an extended period. 🌿
The flowers are beautifully fragrant, with a rich, sweet, heavily perfumed scent that can be surprisingly strong for such small blooms. Fragrance intensity can vary between individual plants, but it is one of the most rewarding features of this species. 🌸
Maxillaria variabilis naturally occurs in humid forests from Mexico through Central America, where it can grow as an epiphyte, lithophyte, or terrestrial orchid. The species is known for its remarkable range of flower colours, from yellow and orange through to deep red and nearly black, making the ‘Red’ form especially striking for collectors.
It’s also an exceptionally easy-growing orchid, tolerating a fairly wide range of temperatures and adapting well to home growing conditions. It is particularly forgiving when kept evenly moist and is even considered a good windowsill orchid.
☀️ Light: Bright indirect to medium light; some morning sun is ideal
💧 Water: Keep moist; allow the surface to dry slightly, avoid prolonged dryness. Can use self watering pots.
🌡️ Temperature: Intermediate to warm, but adaptable to a fairly wide range
☁️ Humidity: 35%+ with good watering habit & water retentive substrate
🪴 Media: Standard RoeOrchid Potting Mix; keep slightly more moisture-retentive
A fragrant, easy-growing miniature with deep red flowers — small in size, but definitely not small on personality. ❤️