Haraella retrocalla is native to Taiwan. This orchid grows in clear deciduous forests, at an altitude of 500-1500 m on the whole island and in the habitats near Taipei and Taitung...
Haraella retrocalla also called as The Rear Facing Lip Spur Haraella, Gastrochilus odoratus, Gastrochilus retrocallus, Gastrochilus retrocallosum, Haraella odorata, Saccolabium odoratum, Saccolabium retrocallum, is a species of the genus Haraella. This species was described by Yûshun Kudô in 1930.
IDENTIFY HARAELLA RETROCALLA
Haraella retrocalla is native to Taiwan. This orchid grows in clear deciduous forests, at an altitude of 500-1500 m on the whole island and in the habitats near Taipei and Taitung.
It is a miniature sized, warm to cold growing, epiphytic species, which reaching a height of 1-2 cm, with short, leafy, 1-2 cm long stems carrying distichous, fleshy, falcate, oblong to oblanceolate, acute, 3-7 cm long and 0.8-1.1 cm wide leaves.
The Rear Facing Lip Spur Haraella blooms on a short, pendant, axillary, to 3 flowered inflorescence with deltoid bracts and successively opening flowers occurring in the fall to early winter. The spread flowers without spurs are relatively large in relation to the size of the plant. The diameter along horizontally distributed inner petals is approx. 2.3 cm, counting from the end of the dorsal leaf up to the end of the lip. The inner and outer petals of the perianth are light yellow. The lip is pale yellow and has a large, hairy, purple-red disk with a wide yellow border.
HARAELLA RETROCALLA 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:
Haraella retrocalla needs a light level of 20000-30000 lux. The plants need light, filtered or scattered light and protection from direct sunlight. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
It is a plant with moderate thermal requirements. The average daily temperature in summer is 24-26 ° C, at night 17 ° C, daily amplitude 8-9 ° C. In winter the average day temperature is 17-18 ° C, at night 9-11 ° C, with a daily amplitude of 7-8 ° C.
Humidity:
The Rear Facing Lip Spur Haraella needs the humidity of 80-85% from summer to autumn, decreases to 75-80% during winter and spring.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Haraella retrocalla can be grown in shallow containers with good drainage or on cork or tree fern rootstock. The flowers are most beautiful when the plants are grown on bark, but this requires constant high humidity, which in summer means having to water at least once a day. In the case of such suspended plants, during the dry and hot periods it may be necessary to water several times a day.
The plants can be grown in pots or baskets using a loose, quick-drying substrate, such as medium fir granulated fir bark. Perlite and charcoal are often added to the mix to improve the airiness of the substrate, to retain some moisture and to prevent soda of the substrate.
These species need to be repotted immediately after observing adverse changes in the structure of the substrate. If repotting is done at the time when new roots begin to appear, the plant will be accepted and rooted in the shortest possible time.
Watering:
Rainfall is moderate to heavy from spring to autumn. Then the amount of rainfall drops quite rapidly and the drought season begins, which lasts 3-4 months in winter and early spring. The plants should be watered abundantly during intensive growth, but excellent drainage should be ensured and the substrate around the roots should not be allowed to become damp and persist after watering. When new growths reach maturity in the autumn, the amount of water should be gradually reduced.
Fertilizer:
During the active growth, 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 use fertilizer enriched with nitrogen, switching to phosphorus-enriched fertilizer in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Haraella retrocalla need much less water in the winter and should rather dry out before the next watering. However, they should not dry up completely, especially for a longer period. In most cases, frequent morning fogging between occasional, poor watering should provide enough water. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated until new growths appear and a more abundant spring watering begins.
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