Euchile mariae grows only in south-eastern Mexico at an altitude of 1000 to 2000 meters in the states of Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas and Veracruz. They occurs on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental in dry oak forests more or less in the middle of the distance between the lowlands on the coast (in the east) and the peaks that border the Mexican highlands....
Euchile mariae also called as Marie's Epidendrum, Encyclia mariae, Epidendrum mariae, Prosthechea mariae, is a species of the genus Euchile. This species was described by Carl Withner in 1998.
IDENTIFY EUCHILE MARIAE
Euchile mariae grows only in northwest Mexico. It grows in dry oak forests at an altitude of 1000 to 2000 meters above sea level. In their natural habitat, even if there are regular fogs, it is still quite dry; therefore the most common mistake that is made in cultivation is water the plant too much.
It is a warm to cool growing, medium sized, pendant epiphyte with 2 to 3, towards the apex, waxy gray, oblong or elliptic-oblong, acute foliage and ovoid, clustered, 5 cm long pseudobulbs.
Marie's Epidendrum blooms in spring and summer with fragrant flowers on an apical, 5 to 27 cm long, suberect to arching, 1 to 5 flowered inflorescence. The flowers are 5 - 8 cm in size. The disproportionately large white lip surrounding the column is the most striking feature of the flower.
EUCHILE MARIAE 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:
Euchile mariae needs a light level of 25000-34000 lux. The photoperiod is 12-14 hours.
Temperature:
In the summer, the average daytime temperature is 24C, and the average night temperature is 14 ° C, which gives a temperature difference of 9 ° C. In spring, the average day temperature is 24-27 ° C and night 13-15 ° C. In winter, the temperature can occasionally drop to 5 ° C.
Humidity:
As this species is grown bare-root, the humidity must be high, 70% at least, better 75-85%. If the air is too dry, this orchid will have a very slow and crooked growth. If it is grown in pots, there is no need to keep the humidity so high, and 55-60% would suffice.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
To be successful with this species, it is necessary to cultivate Euchile mariae mounted on a raft, without or with a little (but just a little) sphagnum under the roots. It is also possible to place it in a vase, using as a substrate only the bark of large pine (4-6 cm) and being very careful not to water the orchid too much.
Watering:
The annual cycle of this species includes a period of growth (March-October) and a period of rest (December-January). The months of November and February are those passing between one period and another. Then, during the growing period this species gets water frequently, every day if it is bare-rooted, and as soon as the substratum has become completely dry if grown in pot. In this period you should never leave the plant dry for more than a day.
Fertilizer:
During the growing period, the cultivated plant is fertilized every 3 watering with 1/10 of the dose indicated on the bottle of a special fertilizer for orchids. This indication works for bare root plants; if, instead, you cultivate the plant in pot, you use 1/5 of the dose. During this period of rest, this species does not fertilize.
Rest period:
At the end of October, with the reduction of temperatures, the watering begins to decrease, and by the end of November Euchile mariae should take the water once every 3-4 days. Let's not forget that the air humidity must be 75-80%. However, the light must remain high. In this period the plant loses all or almost all the leaves, and its pseudobulbs shrivel a little. If you see that they do it too much (that is, if they lose almost half their original volume), increase the frequency of vaporization. The appearance of the new jets from the base of the pseudobulbs marks the end of the rest period, with which the watering returns to normal levels. It should be remembered that if the specimen has some pseudobulbs still in the growth phase, the resting phase can start only after its maturation.
Hi there-- just a brief note: E. mariae is native to the mountains of extreme NORTHeastern, NOT southeastern, Mexico. In fact, its growing so far northeast (and so near to the Texas border) is often cited s the reason for its not having been discovered and described (by Oakes Ames, as Epidendrum mariae) in 1937. Though many are calling it a Prosthechea, I agree that properly it should be in Euchile, or else left in a broadly-defined Encyclia.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the information!
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