Deer Antlered Phalaenopsis is native to India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Nicobar Islands, Malaysia, Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines. In Myanmar, plants grow at low altitudes on marshy islets at the mouth of the Irrawaddy River. Here they feel best in a thicket of damp shade of mang trees, which protect them from drying up winds, but during the rest period are exposed to the direct action of the sun.
Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi orchid, also called as Deer Antlered Phalaenopsis, Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi f. chattaladae, Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi f. flava, Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi f. picta, Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi f. sanguinea, Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi f. thalebanii, Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi var. picta, Phalaenopsis de-vriesiana, Phalaenopsis lamelligera, Polychilos cornu-cervi, Polychilos hieroglyphica, Polychilos lamillegera, Polystylus cornu-cervi, Polystylus cornu-cervi var. picta, is a species of the genus Phalaenopsis. This species was described by (Breda) Blume & Rchb.f. in 1860.
IDENTIFY PHALAENOPSIS CORNU-CERVI ORCHID
Deer Antlered Phalaenopsis is native to India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Nicobar Islands, Malaysia, Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines. In Myanmar, plants grow at low altitudes on marshy islets at the mouth of the Irrawaddy River. Here they feel best in a thicket of damp shade of mang trees, which protect them from drying up winds, but during the rest period are exposed to the direct action of the sun. The most important source of moisture during the drought is dew. In India, they grow in the jungle together with Dendrobium aggregatum. In Indonesia, they are found on trees growing on limestone hills, often mixed up with P. maculata. In Malaysia, it grows near P. violacea, but it prefers more exposed positions, with at least a rest period.
It is a small sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte or lithophyte with a short stem enveloped by imbricating leaf bases carrying fleshy, oblong-ligulate to oblong-oblanceolate, obtuse leaves. The leaves are 13-23 cm long and 4 cm in width, they are narrow, shiny, yellowish and leathery.
This plant blooms on a lateral, 4 to 18" (9 to 42 cm) long, rachis branched and flattened, racemose or paniculate, many (7 to 12) flowered inflorescence with small bracts arranged in two rows, and having fragrant, long-lasting, fleshy flowers it can bloom at any time of year but especially from spring till autumn. The flattened, flexuous, winged inforescence with ovate cucullate bracts has sequential flowers that can reappear at a later time, so, keep the inflorescence as long as it is green. The flowers are 4-5 cm in diameter and open successively within a few months, 3-5 simultaneously. The durability of a single flower is about 4 weeks. The flowers are waxy, star-shaped, dirty yellow-green with nut-brown spots. The lip is white.
GROW AND CARE PHALAENOPSIS CORNU-CERVI ORCHID
If it receives the right humidity, it is not a difficult species to cultivate. You just have to remember that constancy is always necessary: 2 minutes of attention a day to check the conditions.
Light:
In nature there are two distinct types: the one coming from the woods, where it grows in the shade, and the one from sunny areas. In cultivation it is better to keep the Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi under average light, of 12000-18000 lux. If the orchid refuses to flower for 1-2 years without reason, it is necessary to increase the intensity of the light and bring it to 22000-24000 lux. The photoperiod should always be 12 hours.
Temperature:
It is a thermophilic plant. In summer the average day temperature is 32-37 ° C, night 22-24 ° C, which gives a daily difference of 9-13 ° C. This plant tolerates summer heat. In winter, the average day temperature is 30-36 ° C, at night 16-19 ° C, which gives a daily difference of 14-16 ° C.
Humidity:
If the Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi is cultivated in pots, humidity can stand up to 55%. In the case of bare root specimens, the minimum humidity must be 70%. Too dry air negatively affects the development of the plant and its growth is inhibited. To increase the humidity of the air, you can use an air humidifier, saucers with water or wet claydite.
Substrate and growing media:
It can be grow both in pot and mounted. In the case of mounted you needs to put a layers of moss under the roots and a little moss above the roots (but without touching the base of the plant) to ensure a reserve of moisture. If it is grown in the pot, it is recommended the substrates include tree fern, external coconut shells, a mixture of cut tree ferns and charcoal, or 12-16 mm pine or pine bark with the addition of pearlite and peat moss.
Watering:
During the growth period, it requires moderate watering. The precipitation pattern is wet / dry, but even in the rainy season the precipitation is relatively low. The best time to do the watering is in the morning, so that the plants have the opportunity to dry well before the arrival of the evening. The water used for watering / spraying should always be low in limescale, so the hot shower method can only be applied in areas with particularly soft water. Otherwise we use rainwater, distilled, filtered...
Be careful not to leave water in the axils of the leaves because it may cause rot. The excess of water after watering (if it does not evaporate by itself in the first 2 hours from the moment of watering) must be removed using paper towels, or any other type of absorbent material that does not leave pieces on the plant.
Fertilizer:
In the period of active growth, it is recommended to apply once a week or once every two weeks 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. In winter the fertilizations are reduced to once a month. Before fertilizing the plant it is necessary to water it: in this way there is no risk that the fertilizer will burn the young roots.
Rest period and repotting:
The need for a rest period to stimulate flowering depends directly on the orchid's home country. If you see that your orchid is constantly sensitive to intense light and the filtered sun burns its leaves, it means that it does not need any rest. If, on the other hand, you like the filtered or direct sun (which can also happen), the winter rest period is not only mandatory for flowering, but also necessary for the future well-being of the plant.
The rest period begins in November and consists in the fact that the orchids contain much drier and colder than usual and do not fertilize. The total temperature of the content can vary from 14 to 18 ° C, and watering the orchids is replaced by light spraying and this procedure is performed no more often than once a month. In this period Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi discards all its leaves. With the beginning of the new growth (as a rule, at the end of February), the rest period ends: the total temperature of the content rises, and the irrigation gradually resumes in the usual volume.
The repotting is carried out every 2-3 years, preferably in spring and never during the rest period.
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