Thunia alba performs from Nepal, through Sikkim, Bhutan, north-east India, Burma, to China, in the area of almost all of Thailand and Malaysia. In Thailand, these plants are found in many locations in the north-western mountains, at heights of 1000-1800 m...
Thunia alba also called as The White Thunia, Phaius albus, Phaius bensoniae, Phaius marshalliae, Phaius niveus, Thunia nivalis, is a species of the genus Thunia. This species was described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1852.
IDENTIFY THUNIA ALBA
Thunia alba performs from Nepal, through Sikkim, Bhutan, north-east India, Burma, to China, in the area of almost all of Thailand and Malaysia. In Thailand, these plants are found in many locations in the north-western mountains, at heights of 1000-1800 m. In China, this orchid is found in the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet, where it grows in loose, fertile soil above streams or on broad-leaved trees growing over rocky mountains, at an altitude of 1400-2300 m.
It is a large sized, cool to warm growing, deciduous-leafed terrestrial or lithophyte, which reaching a height of up to 60 cm, with elongate, tufted, erect, up to 60 cm long stems carrying 2 ranked, elliptic-lanceolate, sessile, tapering towards the apex, thinly fleshy, glaucous, up to 20 cm long leaves.
The White Thunia blooms in the mid summer in the northern hemisphere on a terminal, to 30 cm long, loosely 5 to 10 flowered inflorescence with ovate-oblong floral bracts and hanging very fragrant flowers that often do not open fully. The flowers, which often do not develop completely, have forward, pointed, long-lanceolate petals of both whorls, with a length of 6.5-7.5 cm and a width of 1.3-1.6 cm. The head has a length of 5.5 cm, width is 4.3 cm, partly it is rolled up, forming a tube around the spine. The petals of both whorls are snow-white. The bell-shaped lip is also white, but it has purple and lilac spots on the scutellum and on the middle plot, as well as golden-yellow venation. The open aperture part of the lip has very frayed and wavy edges and a short, blunt spur at the base of the lip. The 2.3 centimeter thick rod has near the top a pair of winged appendages.
THUNIA ALBA 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:
Thunia alba needs a light level of 20000-30000 lux. The light should be filtered or dispersed, and the plants should not be exposed directly to the sun in the afternoon hours. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
It is a plant with moderate heat requirements, but requiring cool nights at rest. In summer, the average day temperature is 23-25 ° C, the night 16-17 ° C, which gives a daily difference of 6-9 ° C. In the spring, at the end of the winter dry season, the average temperature of such a spring day is 27-28 ° C, the night 10-16 ° C, and the daily span lowers from 18 to 11 ° C. In winter the average day temperature is 22-25 ° C, the night 6-7 ° C, which gives a daily difference of 15-18 ° C.
Humidity:
The White Thunia needs the humidity of 80-85% in summer and early autumn, gradually decreasing to 60-65% at the end of winter and early spring.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Thunia alba should be grown in extremely airy containers filled with loose, quickly drying ground. It is recommend a substrate consisting of 1/3 of oily clay, 1/3 of well-fermented manure, 1/6 of cut roots of Osmund fern and 1/6 of tree fern fiber. Others recommend the use of a substrate composed of equal parts of peat, clay and sand. Also, materials that release the substrate but often retain a portion of the moisture, e.g. perlite and cut sphagnum moss, are often added to such a mixture. Wood charcoal is also often added to ensure the air permeability of the substrate and protection against acidification.
When the substrate begins to break down, the plants must be repotted, because they react very badly to the solid soil around the roots. It is recommend repotting in spring when new growths appear. After repotting, the plants must be placed in a warm, moist and moderately shaded area. Watering can be started only when new increments reach a height of 15-20 cm, that is, when their new roots are already growing.
Watering:
In the period from late spring to autumn rainfall is moderate to heavy. Subsequently, the rainfall drops sharply and the period of 4-5 months begins to dry, lasting until the following spring. The plants should be watered abundantly during periods of intensive growth, but excellent drainage should be ensured so that the ground around the roots is never spread or soggy. The amount of water should be reduced in autumn, when the leaves turn yellow and start to fall.
Fertilizer:
During the active growth, the plant should be fertilized every week 1/2-3/4 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. You can use balanced fertilizer throughout the year, but can also use fertilizer with increased nitrogen content from spring to mid summer, and then in the late summer and autumn, use a fertilizer with a higher content of phosphorus.
Rest period:
In winter, watering of Thunia alba should be significantly reduced. Some breeders recommend completely stopping watering during this period, while others only considerably reduce the amount of water. It is recommended to occasionally light fogging or irregular slight watering, especially when the shoots get wrinkled due to lack of water. However, one thing is obvious: a relatively long, cool, dry period of rest is necessary for proper growth and flowering initiation. If watering plants is limited, fertilization should also be eliminated. In the spring, when new increments begin to appear, both the amount of water and the amount of fertilizer should be gradually increased. Be very careful not to water new increments as they can get infected and rot. Ideally, when the water will be gently spread around the edges of the pot.
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