Growing Brazilian Maxillaria in Australia: porphyrostele, paranaensis and the Name Changes

Maxillaria doesn’t get the attention of showier genera, but for growers in southern Australia, the Brazilian species are among the most rewarding orchids you can grow. They take cool winters in their stride, flower generously and forgive the occasional missed watering.

Why Brazilian species suit Australian conditions

Many Brazilian Maxillaria come from the Atlantic forest of south-eastern Brazil, where winters are cooler and drier than in the equatorial tropics. That seasonal pattern lines up well with southern Australia, and it is why these species are comfortable in an unheated shadehouse or glasshouse, with frost protection, in places like the Dandenong Ranges.

Maxillaria porphyrostele

Maxillaria porphyrostele is a compact, clumping species with rounded pseudobulbs, each carrying two narrow strap-shaped leaves. In the cooler months it produces flowers around 4 cm across from the base of the pseudobulbs: yellow, with a lip striped red-maroon, and lightly fragrant. Mature plants can carry many flowers at once. It accepts winter nights down to about 5°C if kept on the dry side.

Maxillaria paranaensis (syn. M. juergensii)

Maxillaria paranaensis is a miniature, mat-forming species with small, well-spaced pseudobulbs and narrow, grass-like leaves. Single glossy flowers sit low among the pseudobulbs. Its growth is creeping and somewhat rambling, so it does well mounted or in a small hanging pot, such as an air-root net pot, where new growths can travel. Mounted plants need frequent watering.

Through the year

• Spring: new growths and roots. Repot or divide now if needed, and increase watering and feeding.
• Summer: water regularly, feed weakly every second watering, and keep plants shaded and airy in hot weather.
• Autumn: new pseudobulbs mature. Begin easing back on feed.
• Winter: water less, particularly in cold weather, but don’t let pseudobulbs shrivel. Watch for flower buds at the base of mature pseudobulbs on M. porphyrostele.

Why the names keep changing

Maxillaria has been one of the most debated genera in orchid classification. In the 2000s, DNA studies prompted some botanists to split it into many smaller genera, including Brasiliorchis and Christensonella. Others preferred to keep a broad Maxillaria. As a result, the same plant can be found under several names:

• Maxillaria porphyrostele is also published as Brasiliorchis porphyrostele.
• Maxillaria juergensii is treated by Kew as a synonym of Maxillaria paranaensis; both have also been placed in Christensonella.

Kew’s Plants of the World Online currently accepts the broader Maxillaria, and we list plants under those names with synonyms noted. As with the recent changes in Coelogyne (what happened to Dendrochilum), the plant hasn’t changed – only the label.

Common problems

• Few flowers: usually too little light.
• Shrivelled pseudobulbs: too dry for too long, or root loss in a waterlogged pot.
• Dull, mottled leaves: check undersides for mites in hot, dry weather.

For full culture, see the Maxillaria Orchid Care Guide. You can also browse our current Maxillaria orchids.