Pescatoria cerina is found in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, where it grows epiphytic on the trunks of shady trees of very wet, highland montane forests and cloud forests at an altitude of 650 to 3000 meters above sea level...
Pescatoria cerina also called as The Waxy Pescatoria, Huntleya cerina, Pescatoria costaricensis, Zygopetalum cerinum, is a species of the genus Pescatoria. This species was described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1852.
IDENTIFY PESCATORIA CERINA
Pescatoria cerina is found in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, where it grows epiphytic on the trunks of shady trees of very wet, highland montane forests and cloud forests at an altitude of 650 to 3000 meters above sea level.
It is a warm to cold growing, medium to large sized epiphyte with no pseudobulbs but has erect to arcuate, plicate, subcoriaceous, linear-lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate base, 35 cm long and 5 cm wide leaves arranged in a fan shape.
The Waxy Pescatoria blooms in the spring through fall a short to 10 cm, axillary, erect to arcuate, single flowered inflorescence arises from the basal leafless sheaths, carrying a fragrant, fleshy, waxy flower. The flowers are white, cream or pale yellow, sometimes with a small fraction of amethyst spots on the petals, about 8 cm in diameter, are open not completely. Sepals of an elongated-oval shape, 4.5-5.5 cm long and 3.5-5 cm wide. Petals are round or oval, measuring 3.5-5.5 cm in length and 3.5-4 cm in width. The lip is pale yellow, has jagged growths in the middle, inside it is dark red.
PESCATORIA CERINA 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:
Pescatoria cerina can 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 or southern windows were 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 day and evening sun - put behind a curtain (for example, on a table near a window) or into the shade of other plants.
Temperature:
This kind of orchid refers to a moderately warm thermal requirements, and it is recommended to keep the orchids under the following conditions throughout the year: day temperature is not higher than 30 ° C, night not below 15 ° 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:
According to the natural climate of this type of orchid, air humidity throughout the year is at the level of 70-80%, however, when growing in a substrate (in pots or hanging baskets) under regular watering conditions, the humidity of air can vary at the level of 50 -60%. Too dry air negatively affects the development of the plant - its growth is inhibited, and deformations in the form of an accordion appear on the leaves.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Pescatoria cerina is grow mainly in pots or wooden baskets. As a substrate, it is recommended to use a mixture of bark of coniferous trees with perlite, peat, sphagnum moss, coconut chips, polystyrene, oak leaves and charcoal.
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. 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 be relatively dry, but not completely dry, i.e. is always in a slightly moistened, but not wet state.
Fertilizer:
During the new growth period, this type of orchid is fertilized for every third watering in 1/2 or 1/3 of the fertilizer concentration indicated on the package. Their roots are quite sensitive to various kinds of potassium, phosphoric and the salts contained in the fertilizer, and can very quickly deteriorate (blackening and mass extinction). 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 vegetation (the appearance of new shoots), it is recommended to use fertilizer with a higher nitrogen content, and when the rosette grows less - a fertilizer with a high content of phosphorus.
To prevent salinization of the substrate in the intervals between top dressings, a good washing is necessary. To do this, the orchid should be placed under a stream of warm water and several times well rinsed.
Rest period:
In winter (according to their natural features) Pescatoria cerina undergo a slight cool period of rest when the total temperature of the content drops to 10-15 ° C. Watering should be coordinated with respect to lower temperatures, and the fertilizer supply should be stopped completely. In March, the rest period ends and the overall temperature of the content rises, which often provokes the flowering of the orchid, however, it is not a prerequisite for bringing the plant to bloom.
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