Cymbidium tracyanum is known from southern China (SW Guizhou, SE Xizang, SE and SW Yunnan) to India (Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur) and Indo-China (northern Myanmar, northern Thailand and possibly northern Viet Nam). It is found on damp rocks or on tree trunks in damp, shady evergreen submountain and mountain forests, often near or overhanging streams between 1200 and 1900 meters above sea level...
Cymbidium tracyanum also called as Tracy's Cymbidium, Cymbidium zaleskianum, Cyperorchis tracyana, is a species of the genus Cymbidium. This species was described by Lewis Castle in 1890.
IDENTIFY CYMBIDIUM TRACYANUM ORCHID PLANT
Cymbidium tracyanum is known from southern China (SW Guizhou, SE Xizang, SE and SW Yunnan) to India (Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur) and Indo-China (northern Myanmar, northern Thailand and possibly northern Viet Nam). It is found on damp rocks or on tree trunks in damp, shady evergreen submountain and mountain forests, often near or overhanging streams between 1200 and 1900 meters above sea level.
It is a large sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte or lithophyte with bilaterally compressed, elongate-ovate, about 12 cm in length pseudobulbs enveloped basally by several sheaths and carrying linear-ligulate, distinctly keeled on the underside, acute, mid green, up to 80 cm in length and 2.5 cm in width leaves.
Tracy's Cymbidium blooms on an erect, basal, 90 to 130 cm long, arching, densely 10 to 20 flowered inflorescence with triangular floral bracts and carrying strongly fragrant flowers occuring in the fall and early winter. The flowers are fragrant (smell of cardamom), color from olive to dark green with brown veins, about 12 cm in diameter. Sepals narrow, elliptical, with pointed tips, the upper one hangs over the column, and the lateral ones are more sickle-shaped, about 6-7 cm long and 1.5-2 cm wide. Petals are straight, wider, at the tips also pointed, and along the edge slightly wavy, about 6 cm in length and 1-1.2 cm in width. The lip is triple, one part is parallel to the column, and the other - first strongly protrudes forward, and then hangs down; total size 6 centimeter length and 3 centimeter width. The front part of the lip is round, very strongly wavy, the color is white or cream with red spots; along the edge it has hairs, its overall size is 2.5 x 2.5 cm. The lateral parts of the lips are square, strongly raised, along the margin also covered with hairs, yellow with black and red spots. Column in the form of a spout, strongly arched.
CYMBIDIUM TRACYANUM ORCHID PLANT 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:
Cymbidium tracyanum loves bright light, but if possible not direct in the hot summer noon to avoid prolonged stressful situations leading to temporary stops in growth, yellowing and dehydration of the plant. It should ensure that the lighting is sufficient for active growth at least 9-10 months a year (from March - April and until the end of September - October), and only after flowering is possible the maintenance of the plant in less scanty light conditions.
Temperature:
In the natural habitat, the night temperature decrease takes place, it's mountains, and at night it's always much colder than the day, but it's not necessary to repeat them (and sometimes they reach -7 ° C) at home, and sometimes even dangerous to health. The ideal temperature range from 16 ° C and up to 22 ° C.
Humidity:
In the natural habitats, the relative humidity of the air rarely falls below 50%. In February and March night and the morning humidity hovers around 60-80% , and in the day and evening may fall even to 40-45% . In the rest of the year, the humidity is in a state of 80-95%.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Cymbidium tracyanum is grown mainly in pots, somewhat less often in suspended baskets, which is due to partial dangling of peduncles. As a substrate, pure sphagnum moss can be used with addition of 40% humus, sand and bulk fertilizers (both nitrogenous and potassium-phosphoric). The use of mixtures based on the bark of coniferous trees is not forbidden, but it is also desirable to dilute them with more "heavy" components such as humus, sand, etc., with soil acidity ranging from 5.5 and up to 5.8 pH (ideally) and not more than 6.5 pH.
Repotting is desirable only when it is really necessary. For example: If you water it with ordinary tap water, the pH of which is between 7.2 and 7.8, then over time, as a rule, for 2 years, a favorable substrate pH (5.5 to 6.5) also will jump up to this indicator, and your orchid will not be able to absorb more useful substances, for example, iron, which means that it will begin to lose color in the leaves - yellow. In addition, salts accumulate in the substrates from fertilizer or when watering with poor quality water, which the orchid can not quickly (or in general) absorb and process, reaching a certain amount, they can cause a massive root burn, and the plant will lose all its roots overnight (shrink). Also, the indicator for transplantation is the appearance of the mycelium inside the substrate, mold, rotting or shrinkage of young shoots or the bottom of adult pseudobulbs, etc. The best time to transplant is the time when new orchid sprouts reach a size of about 5 cm and begin to build their own roots (March-April).
Watering:
Watering depends on how optimally chosen are the light and temperature conditions for its maintenance. When the light is bright, the substrate should always be in a moistened (better wet) state, and if there is no sun, then the watering is desirable minimum, otherwise the rotting of the root system of the orchid will begin.
Fertilizer:
You can use loose fertilizers, dried bird droppings, granular fertilizer and the like, which is made for nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers for the spring, preferably at least 10 days before the new roots of young sprouts. You can also use regular liquid fertilizers for orchids and other indoor plants, which are produced in a conventional or 1/2 of the concentration of fertilizer on the package, every week or every watering. The best fertilizer is fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal parts, for example, NPK = 3-3-3 or 8-8-8. If you do not have such a fertilizer, alternate - once fertilizer with a large content of nitrogen, and another time - with a high content of phosphorus.
Rest period:
During the period from November to the end of February, Cymbidium tracyanum undergo a period of rest with strong night temperature drop to 0-12 ° C, the intensity of illumination and the amount of water decrease. With increasing light intensity, the rest period ends and watering can be resumed in normal mode.
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