Amesiella monticola is found in Luzon island, in the Philippines. This area is not protected and is exposed to human disturbance, i.e., logging, slash-and-burn, and expansion of settlement areas. It grows as epiphyte on trees in primary and secondary forests at an altitude of 1800-2200 meters....
Amesiella monticola also called as The Mountainous Amesiella, is a species of the genus Amesiella. This species was described by Cootes & D.P.Banks in 1998.
IDENTIFY AMESIELLA MONTICOLA
Amesiella monticola is found in Luzon island, in the Philippines. This area is not protected and is exposed to human disturbance, i.e., logging, slash-and-burn, and expansion of settlement areas. It grows as epiphyte on trees in primary and secondary forests at an altitude of 1800-2200 meters.
It is a miniature, cool to warm growing species, monopodial, erect, orchid with leathery, linear to obovate, unequally bilobed apically, 6-9 cm long leaves.
The Mountainous Amesiella blooms in the winter and spring on up to 3, axillary, short inflorescence with up to 5 nocturnally fragrant flowers. The white flowers are 6 cm in diameter with long nectar. It smell in the evening hours.
AMESIELLA MONTICOLA 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:
Amesiella monticola needs a light level of 12000-18000 lux. The photoperiod must be 12 hours, even in winter, so when the days are short, it is essential to use artificial lighting systems. If the plant is left at the discretion of that little winter natural light, the growth stops, and the orchid will enter the rest period which is absolutely atypical for its natural development.
Temperature:
The ideal temperatures are 23-24 ° C during the day and 16 ° C at night in the summer, and 20-21 ° C during the day and 13-14 ° C at night in winter. It is also possible to keep it more freshly, but then the problems with growth often occur.
Humidity:
The humidity needed for The Mountainous Amesiella depends on how the plant is grown. If you grow on a raft, the minimum degree of humidity is 75%, ideal 80-85%. If instead it is placed in a vase, the humidity can be lower, about 60%.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Amesiella monticola can be grown both bare-root and in pot. In both cases there are some precautions to be taken. The cultivation in pot carries the risk of a rot of the stem, to which this species is very predisposed. To avoid this, the base of the stem should not touch the substrate, i.e., the plant must be placed in such a way that only the roots touch the substrate. As a vase I recommend a basket, because in a simple plastic jar there is a risk of possible stagnation of water, especially in winter. The substrate must be very "open", without any possibility of stagnation, so I recommend the medium-large bark (3-4 cm).
Repotting is possible only in spring, when the roots start growing again. If you choose to grow the bare root orchid, put a little (but just a little bit) coarse fiber sphagnum under the roots. If you see that the roots are not well, it is better to remove it completely.
Watering:
From March to November this species gets very wet, as soon as the substratum has dried well, but before it becomes completely dry. In addition, light vaporizations of the stem are welcome (be careful not to leave the drops of water in the axils of the leaves) during the hot period. In winter, the amount of water can be reduced a bit, even if this is not essential. The bare root specimens get water every day; during particularly hot days even twice a day.
Fertilizer:
The cultivated plant is fertilized every 3 watering with 1/4 of the dose indicated on the bottle of a liquid fertilizer suitable for orchids. Before fertilizing the orchid, it is necessary to water it to avoid the harmful contact of the fertilizer with the dry roots. If the plant is on a raft, the concentration of the fertilizer must be lower: 1/8 of the dose indicated on the vial.
Rest period:
The Amesiella monticola does not need a rest period to stimulate flowering. This species blooms during the winter months, usually in January / February.
Mine are all doing well in semi-hydroponics. The largest of the three, surprised me and is forming a spike (definately a spike and not root) so it must be very confused as to what time of the year it is, since it's flowering time should be late winter/spring and currently we are in August! I cannot wait to see the beautiful flower and to smell the fragrance which is supposed to be lovely!
ReplyDelete