Peristeria guttata is native to the Neotropics. It is found in tropical wet forests at an altitude of about 400 meters above sea level of Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil and Peru...
Peristeria guttata also called as The Spotted Peristeria, Peristeria cerina var guttata, is a species of the genus Peristeria. This species was described by George Beauchamp Knowles & Frederic Westcott in 1838.
IDENTIFY PERISTERIA GUTTATA
Peristeria guttata is native to the Neotropics. It is found in tropical wet forests at an altitude of about 400 meters above sea level of Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil and Peru.
It is a medium to large sized, hot growing, caespitose epiphyte with an ovoid, smooth, trifoliate, 9-10 cm long and 5-6 cm wide pseudobulb subtended by several pairs of basal sheaths soon evanescent with coriaceous, dark green, plicate, articulated, 30 to 50 cm in length and 9 to 11 cm in width leaf with a channeled petiole.
The Spotted Peristeria blooms in the late winter and early spring on an arching, basal, 5 to 8 cm long, racemose inflorescence arising as a new growth appears with acuminate bracts carrying globose, fleshy flowers that only partially open. The flowers are fragrant, color beige with red-brown spots of various sizes (with a large number of spots even appear red) are not fully revealed (have the shape of a tulip), about 6-7 cm in diameter. The upper sepal has an easy pointed tip, about 3 cm in length and 2.6 cm in width, hanging over the column. Lateral sepals at the base of 0.6-0.7 cm fused with each other, on the tips more rounded, measuring 2.9-3 cm in length and about 3-3.1 cm in width. Petals on the tips are rounded, about 2.5 cm long and 1.6 cm wide. Lip triple, lateral parts fused together at the base of the column, about 1.5 cm long and 0.6 cm wide; the front part of the lip is triangular, densely covered with red-brown spots and hairs, which creates the illusion of red color, the total size is about 3 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, on the inner side there are two white spots. A column in the form of a spout, about 1.8 cm long and 1.1 cm wide.
PERISTERIA GUTTATA 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:
In the natural habitat, Peristeria guttata is concentrated in the lower tier of the forest, where the hot direct sun falls only in a diffuse state. Lighting should be organized in such a way that it is for all year was in a state of active growth - increased roots (both new and branched old), young shoots, peduncles, etc. If you see that growth has stopped or has become too slow, then the place of content needs to be changed to a lighter one or, in addition to natural lighting, use artificial light lamps. This orchid grows well and 100% completely under artificial lighting, therefore, if in the dark winter time there are no bright windows for it in your house, for several months you can safely use 1-2 fluorescent lamps for aquarium plants with reflectors of 30-39 Watt power. It is desirable to shine for at least 10 hours a day (ideally 14-16 hours), placing lamps at a distance of 40 to 80 cm above the plants or on the side.
Temperature:
The maximum temperature with which orchids occur in nature varies from 24 to 26 ° C, and the minimum temperature can reach 9-12 ° C. It is best to grow this species with moderate thermal requirements (from 16 to 24-26 ° C), or at least not allow the full drying of the root system during the summer heat, since it is impossible to avoid it.
Humidity:
The natural climate of The Spotted Peristeria, although divided into two seasons, differing in the amount of precipitation, but directly in the thick of the forest humidity throughout the year remains prohibitively high - at least 70-75 %, most often about 95%. 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:
Peristeria guttata grow best in ordinary pots of light plastic or clay. If the pseudobulb is preparing for flowering, it will be close to the edge of the pot, then the peduncles will be dangling, in other cases they will lie on the substrate. As substrate, you can choose a more moisture-intensive mixture with a large content of sphagnum, peat, seramis, etc. materials or pure sphagnum, so that you do not have to water the plant too often and always had water in its arrangement; or use more air-permeable mixtures based on the bark of coniferous trees of coarse fraction, pieces of charcoal and polystyrene.
Watering:
Watering this kind of orchids directly depends on the temperature of the content, the higher it is, the more often and abundant it is necessary to water. Born in a moist (never drying out) environment, the roots have a very small layer of velamen, and at the beginning of their development they are often even covered with root hairs, through which moisture is absorbed, so drying them is very unpleasant.
Fertilizer:
This species can be feed with loose fertilizers, dry bird droppings, granular fertilizers (e.g., special sticks) and the like, which is manufactured for nitrogen, and phosphorus for fertilizers spring, preferably for 2-3 weeks. 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:
In nature, Peristeria guttata occurs in different regions (Peru, Colombia, Brazil, etc.), however, none of them can boast of the presence of winter, when the intensity of illumination falls so low and active growth stops. Of course, in the winter season there is a seasonal decrease in precipitation, lighting and temperatures, but this only slightly slows down the overall development, but in no way stops it completely.
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