Aerangis distincta is native to Malawi, Central Africa. Plants usually occur at heights of 1000-1750 m, but they are also found at an altitude of 650 m above sea level. They grow on tree trunks and small branches, relatively low and in moderate shade.
Aerangis distincta orchid, also called as The Distinct Aerangis, is a species of the genus Aerangis. This species was described by J.L. Stewart & la Croix in 1987.
IDENTIFY AERANGIS DISTINCTA ORCHID
Aerangis distincta is native to Malawi, Central Africa. Plants usually occur at heights of 1000-1750 m, but they are also found at an altitude of 650 m above sea level. They grow on tree trunks and small branches, relatively low and in moderate shade.
It is a small sized, warm to cool growing, epiphytic, monopodial species with a woody, short stem. The leaves are 4-16 cm long and 2.0-4.8 cm wide. Leaves arranged in one plane form a fan. They have a triangular shape, are narrow at the base and wider at the apex. The leaves have a dark olive color, they are often black spotted and usually have longitudinal furrows.
The Distinct Aerangis blooms either in the winter or the spring and early summer, depending on where the plant was collected, from the 11" (27.5 cm) long inflorescence with the 2 to 5 flowers held below the leaves. The flowers are up to 9.5 cm long, counting from the tip of the dorsal petal, to the end of the lip, but they are slightly narrower when they are measured through the petals of the inner whorl and lateral petals of the outer whorl. Outstretched, star-shaped flowers have white petals of both whorls, and the lip usually has a fairly strong pink hue on the half side of the apex. The extremely long spur and ovary are salmon-colored.
AERANGIS DISTINCTA 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 distincta needs a light level of 15000-23000 lux. The light should be filtered and dispersed, and the plants should not be exposed to direct sunlight, especially at noon. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
It is a thermophilic plant. The average summer temperature in the summer is 25-26 ° C, the average night is 16 ° C, which gives a daily amplitude of 9-10 ° C. In winter, average daytime temperatures are 22-24 ° C, and at night 5-6 ° C, with an amplitude of 17-18 ° C.
Humidity:
Aerangis distincta needs a humidity level of 75-85% in summer and early autumn, gradually falling to almost 50% at the beginning of spring, at the end of the dry season.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Aerangis distincta usually grows better and look better when mounted on uneven bark washers and they may require watering several times a day in hot and dry weather. They can be grown in small, 8-13 cm hanging pots or baskets, filled with a very thick, loose, well-permeable substrate that keeps the plant, but it allows the roots to grow out of the container.
Plants should be repotted when the substrate begins to decompose. If repotting is done at the moment when new roots begin to appear, the plant will be accepted and rooted in the shortest possible time.
Watering:
Aerangis distincta should be watered abundantly during the period of intensive growth (in summer and early autumn), but the outflow of water must be facilitated and the substrate around the roots should always be loose, with easy access of air. The substrate around the roots can never be desiccated or soggy. When new growths reach maturity in the autumn, the amount of water should be gradually reduced.
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 you can also use fertilizer enriched with nitrogen, and switching to phosphorus-enriched fertilizer in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
In winter, Aerangis distincta need less water, so in the autumn and early winter months they need morning fogging between rare, light watering. At the end of winter, the amount of water should be further reduced to occasional fogging between very rare watering. However, the amount of water supplied should be increased if the leaves are wrinkling or when the plants show signs of weakness. Fertilization should be eliminated until new growths appear and more watering begins in the spring.
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