The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Maxillaria tenuifolia
Maxillaria tenuifolia is a small epiphytic orchid from Mexico to Nicaragua, grown for its red, speckled flowers that smell like coconut. It is easy to grow if kept moist with good air movement and bright light.
Maxillaria tenuifolia, the delicate-leafed maxillaria or coconut pie orchid, is a species of orchid ranging from Mexico to Nicaragua and possibly Costa Rica. These plants are easy to grow if kept moist and given good air movement in a high-light windowsill of any orientation but North.
Of all the members of its genus, which are not as sought after in cultivation, Maxillaria tenuifolia is the most popular. It has rather small flowers, typically no more than one and a half inches, and they come only one to a spike. Its popularity is due to the flower's scent, which is just like that of coconuts. The flowers are colored in red with yellow or brown speckles. This plant is easy to grow and flower but does like a little cooler night temperatures in winter.
The plants prefer medium light as for between Cattleya and Phalaenopsis. From 1500 to 3500 foot candles are ideal. This plant will also grow well under fluorescent and high pressure sodium fixtures.
Maxillaria echinophyta · Maxillaria uncata · Maxillaria amplifoliata · Maxillaria crassifolia · Maxillaria petiolaris · Maxillaria aureoglobula · Maxillaria carolii · Cowl Carrying Maxillaria · Crowded Tiger Orchid · Maxillaria desvauxiana · Maxillaria egertoniana · Maxillaria elluziae
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Maxillaria tenuifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
