The Snow-White Paphiopedilum is native to The Malay Peninsula near the border of Malaysia and Thailand, small calcareous islands south of the main island in the Langkawi group, which lies on the west side of the coast. This plant also meets on the Tambelan Islands, which lies between the west coast of Borneo and Singapore. Paphiopedilum niveum grows at a height of 0-60 m on cliffs facing north or north-west, where the plants are protected from the direct sun, but are exposed to bright light reflected from the sea.
Paphiopedilum niveum orchid, also called as The Snow-White Paphiopedilum, Cordula nivea, Cypripedium concolor var. niveum, Cypripedium niveum, Cypripedium niveum var. album, Paphiopedilum niveum f. album, is a species of the genus Paphiopedilum. This species was described by (Rchb.f) Stein in 1895.
IDENTIFY PAPHIOPEDILUM NIVEUM ORCHID
The Snow-White Paphiopedilum is native to The Malay Peninsula near the border of Malaysia and Thailand, small calcareous islands south of the main island in the Langkawi group, which lies on the west side of the coast. This plant also meets on the Tambelan Islands, which lies between the west coast of Borneo and Singapore. Paphiopedilum niveum grows at a height of 0-60 m on cliffs facing north or north-west, where the plants are protected from the direct sun, but are exposed to bright light reflected from the sea. They usually grow in fissures of limestone rocks filled with moss or humus, or on moss-covered tree roots.
This orchid is a small sized, hot growing, dwarf, terrestrial species, which reaching 26 cm height, with 4 to 5, strap-shaped to narrowly elliptic, mottled dark green and gray, purple spotting beneath leaves. The leaves are up to 15 cm long and 2.7-3.5 cm wide.
It blooms in the spring and summer on an erect, terminal, pubescent, 6 to 8" (15 to 20 cm) long, single or occasionally 2 flowered inflorescence. These white flowers are about 8 cm in diameter and small purple spots at the base of the inner whorl petals and the dorsal petal. The dorsal petal has bulges and reddish-purple spots on the underside. Synsepal is ovoid-oblong and narrower than the dorsal petal. The ovoid lip is up to 3 cm in length and the hole is pinched, which is almost covered by the rod and the birthmark. The yellow mark plate, with its white edges, has a shape that is more or less elliptical to a somewhat kidney-shaped, with a bulge in its center.
GROW AND CARE PAPHIOPEDILUM NIVEUM ORCHID
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:
The plant need light level of 20000-35000 lux. Plants require moderately bright, filtered or scattered light and protection from direct sunlight. If they were grown at a low level of light, they should be accustomed to the light more gradually. That plants grown in very bright light produce more flowers, but too high light levels make plants look bad. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
Throughout the year, the average day temperature is 30-34 ° C, the night 22-24 ° C, and the daily difference is 7-12 ° C. These plants can adapt to night temperatures in winter, even around 16 ° C.
Humidity:
For most of the year, the humidity is almost 80%, for a period of about 1 month in autumn it increases to 85%, and then in winter it drops to 65-70%.
Substrate and growing media:
You can use various loose, fast-drying substrates that retain some of the moisture, but do not get lost. Some believe that these plants seem to grow better with the addition of moss to the substrate, which not only retains moisture, but also lowers its PH. These plants often grow on or near limestone, but it is not recommended to add limestone pieces to the ground. Limestone dissolves quickly in cold water and can cause toxic levels of calcium, especially for this sensitive species.
These plants are particularly sensitive to the excess of salt in the substrate and to the excess of salt in the water for watering, and therefore require special protection. The substrate should be thoroughly rinsed before each watering with fertilizer.
Watering:
Cultivated plants should be watered very abundantly with little drying between watering from spring to autumn. However, attention should be paid to the condition of the ground, which can not be soaked or damp. In areas where tap water is highly mineralized, recommend using only rainwater, distilled water or reverse osmosis.
Fertilizer:
It is recommended to use 1/10 doses of orchid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks. Nitrogen-enriched fertilizer with phosphate enriched fertilizer can be used alternatively throughout the year.
Rest period and repotting:
In winter, the amount of water should be slightly reduced, especially when grown in the conditions of a short, dark day in winter. However, they can never stay dry for too long. Fertilization should be eliminated until spring, when more watering is undertaken. That initiating flowering requires abstaining from watering for about 1 month during the winter.
Plants should be repotted before the soil begins to decompose and usually grow better when repotted each year. Repotting is best done at the end of winter or early spring, when new roots begin to grow. If the plant just blooms during this period, repotting is carried out immediately after flowering.
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