Papilionanthe teres occurs widely in Southeast Asia, east of Nepal, Bhutan and north-east India, through Myanmar and Thailand after Laos, Vietnam and southern China...
Papilionanthe teres also called as The Terete Leaf Papilionanthe, Dendrobium teres, Papilionanthe teres f. candida, Vanda teres, Vanda teres var. candida, is a species of the genus Papilionanthe. This species was described by Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter in 1915.
IDENTIFY PAPILIONANTHE TERES
Papilionanthe teres occurs widely in Southeast Asia, east of Nepal, Bhutan and north-east India, through Myanmar and Thailand after Laos, Vietnam and southern China. They were also met on the Andaman and Nicobar islands. It is the most popular and the most widely occurring species of this type. They usually grow at heights of 250-850 m. In Thailand, it is found in many regions, with the largest clusters in the northwestern mountainous region near Doi Suthep, Chiengmai, Mae Hong Song and Chiengrai.
It is a giant sized, terete leafed, vandanaceous, monopodial, hot growing epiphyte with a branching, terete, very long stem carrying straight, suberect or curved, terete, 15-20 cm long and 0.4 cm in diameter leaves.
The Terete Leaf Papilionanthe blooms at most any time of the year but most often in the late spring and early summer, on a 15 to 30 cm long, axillary, racemose inflorescence carrying a 3 to 6 loosely arranged, large, showy, fragrant flowers. The flowers, quite variable in size and color, are relatively durable and have 5-10 cm in diameter. They are usually pale pink or pink with a dark pink lip that has a yellow center. The ridge is extremely variable in terms of color, ranging from buff yellow with irregular longitudinal stripes of pale or bright red spots that can cover part or almost the entire surface, almost white, but densely covered with dark pink spots on almost the entire middle plot. The throat radius of some clones may be yellow, and then its outer surface may be dark pink. The large, fairly wide rod is white. A pure white form, quite common in cultivation, is referred to as Papilionanthe teres f. candida.
PAPILIONANTHE TERES 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:
Papilionanthe teres needs a light level of 50000-60000 lux. The light should be kept as high as possible, so as not to burn the leaves. A very large amount of light seems necessary to initiate flowering, so a position is recommended where the plant will have access to full sun for at least part of the day. The plants tend to cling and climb like typical creepers, and in nature they will not bloom until they grow out of the vegetation surrounding them, reaching the full sun. When they grow in more shady positions, they should be gradually getting used to more sun. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
A thermophilic plant. In summer the average day temperature is 31-32 ° C, at 23-24 ° C during the night, which gives a daily difference of 7-9 ° C. The average temperature of such a spring day is 34-36 ° C, the night 17-23 ° C, and the daily spread in this period increases to 18-11 ° C. In winter, the average day temperature is 29-32 ° C, night 13-14 ° C, with a daily amplitude of 15-18 ° C.
Humidity:
Papilionanthe teres needs the humidity of 80-85% in summer and early autumn, gradually decreasing to 55-60% in the dry season at the end of winter and at the beginning of spring.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Papilionanthe teres are usually grown in hanging pots or wooden baskets filled with airy, fast drying substrate, because they react badly to long-lasting moisture around the roots. The container is usually attached or inserted into a tree-shaped slat or support to allow the plant to attach.
Sometimes the plants are grown with only a small amount of airy substrate such as: charcoal, wine corks or large pieces of bark of the cork oak, so that only keep the plants in the right position. Large pieces of fir bark or pieces of tree fern fiber are the substrate usually used, but the easiest way to fix the plants is to put them in an empty clay pot and let the roots attach themselves to it. The roots should be allowed to grow freely downwards and should not be cut to give the plant an orderly appearance. Strong and continuous air movement around the roots is essential for proper plant growth. The roots are produced on the stem nodes, which allows for easy breeding by division into parts. Repotting or dividing is best done when new roots begin to grow.
Watering:
From late spring to autumn rainfall is very intense, and then their number drops sharply and stays low for 4 months in winter and early spring. The cultivated plants should be watered strongly and often during active growth, but the roots must always dry quickly after watering. During hot, dry weather, the plants can be misted or sprinkled 4-5 times a day. In late autumn, watering should be limited.
Fertilizer:
During the period of strong growth, the plants should be fertilized every week with 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. You can use fertilizers with reduced nitrogen content in the late summer and autumn period, and increased phosphorus to improve flowering in the next season and strengthen new growth before winter.
These plants require high doses of fertilizers, which is why you can add fermented manure to the substrate, and even the addition of commonly used, slow fertilizing tablets to the substrate. When using such tablets, special care should be taken because when the substrate is thoroughly drying between waterings, the next dose of fertilizer may release too much fertilizer that can even destroy the plant.
Rest period:
In late autumn, the amount of water for Papilionanthe teres should be reduced, however, it should not be left without water for a longer period. During most of the winter period they should be lightly watered occasionally and occasionally sprinkled in the early morning. In the late winter, for a period of about a month, water supply should be limited to occasional light fogs. Fertilization should be reduced or completely eliminated until more intense watering starts in the spring.
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