Greetings dear admirers of the beauties that Nature gives us daily, in this opportunity the images that I bring you correspond to a very beautiful and peculiar orchid. The pictures were taken during my stay at my sister's house, in the city of Maturin, Monagas state, during my post Covid-19 recovery.

My sister has a nice collection of orchid plants in her garden and because of medical recommendations I could not return to my home in Barcelona, I had to spend almost a month at her house. During those days several of the plants gave us their beautiful inflorescences, one of them is the one that today I have the pleasure to show you through my photographs.

This exotic orchid that you can see in my photographs is a hybrid species, which is the result of crossing the orchid species Cattleya Bowringiana and Brassavola Nodosa. Its scientific denomination since it was registered in 1944, was Brassocattleya Maikai. However, because the species Cattleya Bowringiana was later reclassified and named Guarianthe Bowingiana, its name was also modified and it is now officially known as Brassanthe Maikai.

It is a slow growing and evergreen type plant, that is to say, its fleshy and elliptical perennial leaves always maintain a beautiful green color. This is a characteristic inherited from the Guarianthe species, as well as the color of its beautiful flowers. On the other hand, its size and general generosity in the greater number of inflorescence, comes from the other donor species Brassavola Nodosa.

It is a very sought after plant in the ornamental field, one of the predominant factors is its ease of cultivation, of course, as long as it can enjoy plenty of light and ventilation, being better if it also receives sunlight. But well, let's be clear, that what attracts more followers of this plant, are its beautiful and exotic flowers, with that amazing pattern that can vary between spots or dots.

Regarding the flowering stems of this orchid, they are wrapped in what is called flower spathe and it is a kind of bract that protects the stem along which many inflorescences should emerge. The flowers of this plant can be found mainly in 3 different colors: white, pink, purple and in some cases they can be in two shades.

Something that should be emphasized with this plant is that care should be taken with watering, because the new bulbs are protected by a kind of cover formed by several leaves. But these leaves are not well attached to the bulb, which allows water to penetrate, running the risk of rotting. This rotting, if there is no good drainage, could be fatal to the plant, as it spreads, eventually killing the plant.

In short, Brassocattleya Maikai is a truly amazing plant not only because it is an intergeneric hybrid, but also because of its exotic beauty that captivates everyone who looks at it. But that's not all, it is a very generous plant, if given the right conditions. If so, it is possible that it gives us in the same flowering, multiple sticks full of its precious inflorescences. What in short, it represents a true visual spectacle that delights everyone who has the pleasure of witnessing it.

Well dear readers, I hope you like this new selection of photographs and that the information I share with you will be useful for you. I also hope my friend @Adalger likes it, as it will be my entry this week for the wonderful contest he organizes, Amazing Nature Contest - May 2021 - #05. I send you many blessings, don't forget to take care of yourselves and your loved ones by complying with biosecurity measures. You are loved.

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