Paphiopedilum liemianum is endemic to northern Sumatra (Kg. Susuk). It grows on humus pockets that fill the inter spaces between the roots of trees growing on limestone in ravines, on a limestone ridge between the active volcanos, at 600-1000 meters...
Paphiopedilum liemianum also called as Liem's Paphiopedilum, Cypripedium chamberlainianum var liemanii, Paphiopedilum chamberlainianum subsp. liemianum, Paphiopedilum chamberlainianum var. liemianum, Paphiopedilum victoria-regina subsp. liemianum, is a species of the genus Paphiopedilum. This species was described by K.Karas. & K.Saito in 1982.
IDENTIFY PAPHIOPEDILUM LIEMIANUM
Paphiopedilum liemianum is endemic to northern Sumatra (Kg. Susuk). It grows on humus pockets that fill the inter spaces between the roots of trees growing on limestone in ravines, on a limestone ridge between the active volcanos, at 600-1000 meters.
It is a small to medium sized, warm growing terrestrial or lithophyte with the stem carrying dark green above and red speckled beneath, ciliate margins, narrowly oblong, obtuse, basally clasping, 28 cm long and 5 cm wide leaves.
Liem's Paphiopedilum blooms in the late winter and early spring on a 15 to 20 cm long, dark brown, successively 1 to 2 flowered inflorescence carrying an elliptic, obtuse, ciliate, green spotted crimson floral bract. The flowers are about 8-9 cm in diameter. Upper sepals are oval, creamy or white-green, covered with light fluff, 3.2 cm in length and 3.5 cm in width. Petal is cream with purple spots, very strongly wavy and covered on the edge with cilia, measuring 4.2 cm long and 1 cm wide, grow almost horizontally. The lip is pink with darker spots.
PAPHIOPEDILUM LIEMIANUM 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:
Paphiopedilum liemianum can be grow in the bright scattered sun. This orchid adapts well to the direct morning (east side) and evening (west side) sun, without burning and growing green mass. Small problems in the summer can be expected on southern windows, as in the day it is too sunny (sometimes up to 70000 lux), which often overheats the plants and get burned leaves. The first sign of too intense illumination is the crushing of young leaves, they are fully formed, not even having time to grow even sometimes up to 7-8 cm.
Temperature:
This kind of orchid refers to a moderately warm temperature regime, and it is recommended to keep the orchids under the following conditions throughout the year: Summer temperature at 28-30 ° C in the day and around 20 ° C at night. Winter temperature at 24-26 ° C day and around18 ° C at night. For the successful cultivation at home, it is necessary that the night temperature of the content is always 6 ° C lower than the daytime temperature. A colder nighttime content is one of the leading factors that stimulate the flowering of this species.
Humidity:
In nature, for most of the year, the precipitation falls almost daily, so the relative humidity of the air rarely falls below 60-65%. The plants grow mainly in the shade between the roots of trees in a constant environment of moisture both from below (roots) and from above (leaves). It is extremely difficult to recreate a 100% identical environment on a regular room window sill, however, in some cases it is possible, for example, on a window in the bathroom or in the kitchen. In conditions of high humidity, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room where the plants are kept, since wet, stale air is an ideal medium for the mass reproduction of various fungal and bacterial diseases.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Paphiopedilum liemianum is grown exclusively only in pots. As a substrate, it is recommended to use a mixture of bark of coniferous trees with coconut chips, sphagnum moss with the mandatory addition of dolomite flour or chalk necessary to adjust the acidity of the substrate, which should be of the order of 7-8 PH.
Watering:
Watering this kind of orchids directly depends on the overall temperature of the content, the higher it is, the more often and abundant it is necessary to water. 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 the irrigations should dry relatively well, but do not dry out completely, i.e. is always in a slightly moistened, but not wet state.
Fertilizer:
In the period of active growth, this type of orchids is fertilized every 2-3 weeks in 1/2 or 1/3 of the fertilizer concentration indicated on the package. In addition to the usual root dressing, it is also recommended to produce a foliar dressing when a very dilute fertilizer sprayed with orchid leaves. It is best to feed the plant, alternating both these methods.
To avoid very rapid salinization of the substrate, once every 2-3 months it needs to be rinsed thoroughly. For this purpose, a pot of orchid you need to put in the sink and on several occasions to pass through the substrate a stream of warm water, or 2-3 times for 10-15 minutes, soak the pot with flower in warm distilled water, alternately changing it. The first signs of salinization of the substrate are the blackening of the tips of the leaves of the orchids. In case of particularly severe damage, the plant should immediately be transplanted into a new substrate.
Rest period:
Paphiopedilum liemianum does not need any period of rest: neither for stimulation of flowering, nor in winter. Immediately after flowering, if necessary, the orchid is transplanted and kept relatively dry for some time. This is necessary to acclimatize the plant and to prevent rotting of the roots from the transplant.
COMMENTS