Laelia anceps is found in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. It grows epiphytic on trees in coffee plantations, pastures, oak and oak/pine forests at an altitude of 500 to 2400 meters above sea level...
Laelia anceps also called as Two-edged Laelia, Amalia anceps, Amalias anceps, Bletia anceps, Bletia anceps var. barkeriana, Cattleya anceps, Laelia anceps f. alba, Laelia anceps f. chilapensis, Laelia anceps f. dawsonii, Laelia anceps subsp. dawsonii, Laelia anceps subsp. hallydayana, Laelia anceps subsp. sanderiana, Laelia anceps subsp. schroederiana, Laelia anceps var. alba, Laelia anceps f. chilapensis, Laelia anceps var. amesiana, Laelia anceps var. ashworthiana, Laelia anceps var. ballantineana, Laelia anceps var. barkeriana, Laelia anceps var. blanda, Laelia anceps var. chamberlainiana, Laelia anceps var. crawshayana, Laelia anceps var. delicata, Laelia anceps var. grandiflora, Laelia anceps var. hilliana, Laelia anceps var. hollydayana, Laelia anceps var. holocheila, Laelia anceps var. hyeana, Laelia anceps var. kienastiana, Laelia anceps var. leucosticta, Laelia anceps var. lineata, Laelia anceps var. morada, Laelia anceps var. munda, Laelia anceps var. obscura, Laelia anceps var. oweniana, Laelia anceps var. percivaliana, Laelia anceps var. protheroana, Laelia anceps var. radians, Laelia anceps var. roeblingeana, Laelia anceps var. sanderiana, Laelia anceps var. schroederiana, Laelia anceps var. scottiana, Laelia anceps var. simondsii, Laelia anceps var. stella, Laelia anceps var. superba, Laelia anceps var. vestalis, Laelia anceps var. virginalis, Laelia anceps var. waddoniensis, Laelia anceps var. williamsii, Laelia barkeriana, is a species of the genus Laelia. This species was described by John Lindley in 1835.
IDENTIFY LAELIA ANCEPS ORCHID PLANT
Laelia anceps is found in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. It grows epiphytic on trees in coffee plantations, pastures, oak and oak/pine forests at an altitude of 500 to 2400 meters above sea level.
It is a medium sized, warm to cool growing species with ovate-oblong, compressed, edges acute, flattened-sides, ribbed, 6-12 cm long and 2-4 cm wide pseudobulbs carrying 1 or rarely 2, apical, oblong-lanceolate, leathery, acute, 10 to 27 cm long and 2 to 5.5 cm wide leaves.
Two-edged Laelia blooms in autumn to spring with 2 to 6 scented, long-lasting flowers in a terminal cluster, per 60 to 120 cm long, alternately sheathed inflorescence. The flowers are fragrant (on sunny days), color from pink to purple, in shape resembling stars, about 12 cm in diameter. Sepals are oblong-lanceolate, with pointed tips, slightly curved back, 4-6 cm in length and 1-1.5 cm in width. Petals are elliptical in shape, wavy along the rim, with bent back tips, measuring 5-7 cm in length and 1.5-3 cm in width. Lip is triple, rather wide, wavy, measuring 3.5-5 cm long and 3-4 cm wide. The general color of the lips is purple, inside it is yellow, and the tip is darker purple, the lateral parts of it grow overlapping on the column, and the foreleg is oval, wavy along the rim, curved downwards.
LAELIA ANCEPS 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:
Laelia anceps loves bright sunlight and is able to tolerate direct morning and evening sun, however, in the hot summer noon (especially on windows of southern orientation) the orchid should be protected from direct sunlight: put behind a curtain (for example, on a table near the window) or in the shadow of other plants, otherwise the plant can get sunburn. Bright sunlight is one of the main prerequisites for flowering orchids of this species, and if it is insufficient (especially during the development of new shoots), then the plant simply will not bloom, as new pseudobulbs grow underdeveloped, i.e. incapable of flowering. During the whole year, the duration of a day of light must be at least 10 hours.
Temperature:
This kind of orchid refers to a moderately cold temperature regime, and it is recommended to keep the orchids under the following conditions throughout the year: Summer temperature at 18-22 ° C (maximum 32 ° C) in the daytime and 13-16 ° C at night; Winter temperature at 15 ° C during the day and 10 ° C at night. To successfully grow at home, it is necessary that the night temperature of the content is always 6 ° C lower than the daytime temperature.
Humidity:
Two-edged Laelia needs relatively high humidity, not less than 60%, ideally 75-80%. Too dry air negatively affects the development of the plant and its growth is inhibited.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Laelia anceps can be grow in pots and hanging lattice baskets and placed on blocks. The substrate must be very well breathable, therefore the mixture of the bark of coniferous trees with charcoal and sphagnum moss (20-25%) is best in its quality. When growing orchids on blocks to prevent rapid drying of the root system of the plant, it is recommended to make a small interlayer of moss between it and the block. Above the roots, you can also put live or dry sphagnum. The best time for transplant is the time when new orchid sprouts reach a size of 5 cm and begin to build their own roots.
Watering:
Watering this kind of orchids directly depends on the total temperature of the content, the higher it is, the more often and abundant it will be necessary to water. Plants growing on blocks should be watered daily in the morning, so that by evening the roots of the orchids could dry out relatively well. When watering orchids in pots, it is necessary to remember that excess water during watering should flow freely out of the pot, as the stagnation of water both inside the pot and in its pallet can very quickly lead to rotting of the roots and the lower part of the plant. The substrate between waterings should dry well.
Fertilizer:
During the new growth period, this type of orchid is fertilized every 3 weeks in 1/2 of the fertilizer concentration indicated on the package. In addition to the usual root top dressing, it is also recommended to produce a foliar dressing, when a very much diluted fertilizer is sprayed on the outer part of the plant. It is best to feed the orchid, alternating both these methods. At the beginning of the growing season (the appearance of new shoots) it is recommended to use a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content, and by the time when new shoots reach 1/2 of their normal size - a fertilizer with a high content of phosphorus.
Rest period:
To stimulate flowering Laelia anceps needs a clearly defined period of rest. It begins when a new orchid sprout sufficiently develops and at least half unfolds its only leaf. It is not necessary to focus on the appearance of a cover in this case, as, as a rule, it is born very small and for a long time is not visible. From this point on, the total temperature of the content should be reduced, first to 18 ° C and 15 ° C at night, and as the leaf expands to 15 ° C by day and 10 ° C at night. Together with the lowering of the temperature, watering and top dressing of the plant is also reduced until they completely stop. With the advent of peduncles, the rest period ends: the overall temperature rises, and the watering of the orchids resumes in the usual volume.
Hello, I've been reading your posts about orchids and found them very useful. I have an inquiry about a laelia anceps seedling which I have difficulty growing and I hope that you will see it and eventually answer it. So, here it is. This plant was bought 2 years ago, it's a seedling and has been unhappily growing in a glass patio with temperatures that vary from 16-23C in winter and 22-32C in summer. Humidity is about 50-70 in winter and 60-70 during summer. It receives morning and afternoon filtered sunlight and watered once a week with some spraying in between waterings. At some point it lost of its roots and p/b have shrivelled a lot. It has a new growth and it looks a bit more vigorous than the older ones but I have the fear that it will end up like the others- without roots. Any suggestions? I can't figure out what I do wrong. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteI have 3 L.anceps one on a mount which is slow to grow and 2 in pots with Pine Bark medium sized chunky substrate. Both are in flower here in July, winter in Western Australia. I have recently taken them from under an outdoor patio into a recently acquired glass house. I have taken to the black plastic pots with a soldering iron and really opened up the sides of the pot to allow for more air flow thru the pots. These plants have never been 'rested' as advised in the care notes. Over watering causes 90% of loss of roots in Orchids and I would suggest reading as many articles as you can on the structure of the Orchid Velamen/roots. One really good watering (heaps) weekly during the non-rest period and very little during rest is my best advice. Take lots of notice of the p-bulbs and leaves. Be gentle with your fertilizer, too much chemical salt build-up due to heavy fert. concentrations causes root burn. In my 40 plus years of growing orchids, I have found a small amount of neglect can go a long way toward successful growing.
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