Aerangis biloba is native to tropical West Africa (Benin, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon). Plants grow at an altitude of up to 700 m, in forests, wooded areas and undergrowth, and often also in arable areas, e.g. on cocoa plantations.
Aerangis biloba orchid, also called as The Two-lobed Aerangis (refers to the leaf), Aerangis campyloplectron, Angorchis biloba, Angorchis campyloplectron, Angraecum apiculatum, Angraecum bilobum, Angraecum campyloplectron, Rhaphidorhynchus bilobus, is a species of the genus Aerangis. This species was described by (Lindley) Schlechter in 1915.
IDENTIFY AERANGIS BILOBA ORCHID
Aerangis biloba is native to tropical West Africa (Benin, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon). Plants grow at an altitude of up to 700 m, in forests, wooded areas and undergrowth, and often also in arable areas, e.g. on cocoa plantations.
It is a small sized, hot to warm growing, epiphytic with short to 8" long stems. The leaves are up to 18 cm in length and 3-6 cm in width. On each shoot there are 4-10 two-row egg-shaped, leathery leaves whose ends are unevenly distributed. They are dark green with black dots.
The Two-lobed Aerangis blooms in the spring and summer on an axillary, 4 to 16" (10 to 40 cm) long, pendant or arching raceme that carries from 2 to 20, waxy, fragrant, long-lived flowers. The flowers are white with a pinkish spur. The flakes of both whorls are spread out, have a narrow-lanceolate shape and are sharply terminated.
AERANGIS BILOBA CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Aerangis biloba needs a light level of 15,000-23,000 lux. The level of light should be quite low and the light should be filtered or dispersed. Plants should not be exposed to direct sunlight, especially at noon. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
This species is a thermophilic plant. The average day temperature during the whole year is 26-31 ° C, night 17-20 ° C, which gives a daily amplitude of 7-12 ° C.
Humidity:
Plants needs a humidity level of 80-85% from late spring to autumn, and falling to 70-75% during the winter and early spring. It is easily dehydrated so you will need to pay close attention to the moisture factor.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Aerangis biloba grows better, and its hanging flower shoots look better when the plant is mounted on a uneven bark rootstock, but require high humidity and must be watered or sprinkled daily, and in hot and dry weather they may require watering several times a day. This plants can also grow in small hanging pots or baskets filled with a very thick, loose, well-drained substrate that keeps the plant, but allows the roots to grow out of the container.
Plants should be repotted when the substrate begins to decompose. If repotting is done when new roots start to appear, this plant will be accepted and rooted in the shortest possible time.
Watering:
The Two-lobed Aerangis should be watered frequently during periods of intensive growth, but the outflow of water must be facilitated and the substrate around the roots should always be loose, with easy access of air.
Fertilizer:
During the active growth of the plants should be fertilized every week 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. From spring to mid-summer use fertilizer enriched with nitrogen, switching to phosphorus-enriched fertilizer in late summer and autumn. A balanced fertilizer, with NPK in equal proportions (20-20-20, 5-5-5, 8-8-8...) is recommended. Before fertilizing the plant it is necessary to wet it: in this way the roots are not burned by the fertilizer.
Rest period:
In winter, watering should be reduced to a certain extent, especially in the case of plants cultivated in darker conditions of a short day typical of higher latitudes, but they should not be completely deprived of water. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated until new growths appear in the spring and more abundant watering starts.
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