Francisco was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1956. He got his degree in Biology and began his taxonomic studies in the orchid family in 1981. During the next 4 years, he lived most of the time in Manaus where he studied Amazon orchids and began his Master’s degree. Shortly after returning to Rio de Janeiro, the Master’s was completed on “Section Cattleyodes of the Genus Laelia”. Since then, his main interest has been on Brazilian Laelias and Cattleyas.

He is the author of several papers ranging from species descriptions to subjects of growers’ interest in Brazilian, German, and U.S. publications. He is also the author of two books.

Since 2000, he lives in Haines City, Florida, where he operates Miranda Orchids, an orchid nursery specializing in Brazilian species and the Cattleya alliance. He also guides trips to Brazil and frequently visits Brazilian habitats to find new and/or interesting orchid species.