Brassia is a genus of orchids in the Eastern hemisphere commonly called the “spider orchid” due to the long, bizarre shapes of its sepals, which spread out like a spider’s legs. The spider orchid’s scientific name, Brassia, comes from William Brass, the botanist who helped originally collect it. Spider orchids are found in rainforest-like conditions as far north as Mexico and as far south as South America, though like so many other beautiful tropical orchids they’re most commonly found in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
