Species library › Restrepia › Restrepia iris
Orchids Partly documented

Restrepia iris

The rainbow restrepia, endemic to south-eastern Ecuador at about 1500 to 2500 m. Grow it cool to intermediate in shade with constant moisture; the local climate has a distinct drier spell from August to November, which a grower can mimic by easing back slightly on water.

Restrepia iris
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Epiphyte of montane forest in the Loja and Zamora region; habitat detail beyond that is thin, so this follows the genus.

Recorded at 1500 to 2500 m, median 2000 m.

Ecuador

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Restrepia iris? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.