Paphiopedilum urbanianum is endemic to Mindoro Island in the Philippines. It can be found on the jungle floor between rock and humus pockets in subtropical or tropical moist montane forest in the Halcon mountain at mid-elevations between 400 and 800 meters above sea level...
Paphiopedilum urbanianum also called as Urban's Paphiopedilum, Paphiopedilum urbanianum f. alboviride, is a species of the genus Paphiopedilum. This species was described by Jack Archie Fowlie in 1981.
IDENTIFY PAPHIOPEDILUM URBANIANUM
Paphiopedilum urbanianum is endemic to Mindoro Island in the Philippines. It can be found on the jungle floor between rock and humus pockets in subtropical or tropical moist montane forest in the Halcon mountain at mid-elevations between 400 and 800 meters above sea level.
It is a small sized, warm growing terrestrial orchid with 4 to 5, narrowly or oblong-elliptic, tessellated dark and light green above, basal margins ciliate, up to 20 cm long and 4 cm wide leaves.
Urban's Paphiopedilum blooms in the winter and spring on an erect, terminal, 25 cm long single flowered inflorescence with ovate, green veined maroon, pubescent floral bract. The flowers are about 10 cm in diameter. Upper sepals are oval, white, covered with green veins. Petals can be horizontal or slightly arched back, at the base green, and closer to the tips of violet, fairly densely covered with black papillae. Lip is brown, to the base more light.
PAPHIOPEDILUM URBANIANUM 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 urbanianum can be grow in bright scattered light. Oriental orientation windows are considered to be the ideal location, however, if there are none in the apartment, you can use western or very bright northern windows. If the western window was chosen for the location of the plant, then during the period from May to early September, the orchid should be protected from the influence of too bright evening sun - put behind a curtain (for example, on a table near a window) or in the shadow of other plants.
Temperature:
This type of orchid belongs to a moderate temperature regime, and it is recommended to keep the orchids under the following conditions throughout the year: Summer temperature at 18-25 ° C. Winter temperature at 10-20 ° C. For the successful cultivation at home, it is necessary that the night temperature of the content is always 4 ° C lower than the daytime temperature.
Humidity:
Urban's Paphiopedilum needs relatively high humidity, not less than 60%, ideally 75-80%. Too dry air negatively affects the development of the plant: its leaves become pale and begin to dry out.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Paphiopedilum urbanianum is grown mainly in pots. As a substrate, it is recommended to use a mixture of bark of coniferous trees with coconut chips and sphagnum moss.
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. Excess water during watering should flow freely out of the pot, as the stagnation of water both inside the pot and in its pan can very quickly lead to decay of the roots and the lower part of the plant. The substrate between the irrigations should dry relatively well, but do not dry completely.
Fertilizer:
During the summer season, this type of orchid is fertilized every two weeks in the usual concentration of fertilizer indicated on the package, in winter it is somewhat less frequent - once a month. If the tips of the leaves begin to turn black and dry, then the dosage of the fertilizer must be reduced. With strong blackening, it is best to transplant the plant immediately into a new substrate and henceforth fertilize it less frequently and in a lower concentration.
Rest period:
To stimulate flowering, Paphiopedilum urbanianum needs a clearly defined period of rest. It begins in late November and is expressed in the fact that the orchid is kept somewhat drier and colder than usual and does not fertilize. The most suitable temperature for a given period is 10-15 ° C. Watering the orchids is desirable to replace with light spraying of the substrate and perform this procedure not more often than once in 2-3 weeks. After the appearance of peduncles, the rest period ends: the watering of the orchid resumes in the usual volume, and the overall temperature of the contents rises.
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