Aerangis somalensis is found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Transvaal South Africa. Its grow in thickets near streams, woodlands in dry areas at elevations of 1000 to 1800 meters...
Aerangis somalensis also called as The Somali Aerangis, Angraecum somalense, is a species of the genus Aerangis. This species was described by Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter in 1918.
IDENTIFY AERANGIS SOMALENSIS ORCHID PLANT
Aerangis somalensis is found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Transvaal South Africa. Its grow in thickets near streams, woodlands in dry areas at elevations of 1000 to 1800 meters.
It is a small sized, cool to warm growing epiphyte with short stems carrying 2 to 6 distichous, oblong-ligulate to suborbicular, unequally bilobed apically, acute lobes, dark green to purple green leaves.
The Somali Aerangis blooms on a axillary, 10 to 20 cm long, 2 to 17 flowered inflorescence carrying nocturnally sweetly scented flowers.
AERANGIS SOMALENSIS 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:
Aerangis somalensis needs a light level of 20000-35000 lux. Light should be filtered or diffused, and plants should not be exposed to direct midday sun. Strong air movement should be provided at all times. Good light is important in the cultivation of these plants, so strong light may be necessary for blooming.
Temperature:
Summer days temperature at average 25°C, and nights average 16°C, with a diurnal range of 9°C. The plants grow well with intermediate to warm temperatures.
Humidity:
The Somali Aerangis needs the humidity of 80-85% in summer, dropping to 60-65% most of the remainder of the year, with only about a one-month transition period between the wet and dry seasons.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Aerangis somalensis grow better when mounted, as the thick roots tend to rot if grown in a pot. Mounted plants need high humidity, however, and during hot, dry weather they may need several waterings a day.
If it is difficult to keep mounted plants moist enough, they may be grown in a shallow basket filled with a very open, fast-draining medium that has excellent drainage, is well aerated, and allows the medium to dry fairly rapidly after watering. You can use coarse fir bark or shredded tree-fern fiber and add varying amounts of chunky perlite and/or chopped sphagnum moss to keep the medium open and retain some moisture in exceptionally dry areas. Including charcoal in the mix also holds the medium open and prevents souring in the pot.
Plants should be repotted immediately if the medium starts to break down or whenever the plant outgrows its container. Repotting should be done just as new roots start to grow. This enables the plant to become reestablished in the shortest possible time.
Watering:
Rainfall in the region is heavy from late spring into early autumn. Averages then drop rather quickly into a dry season that lasts from mid-autumn to late spring. Some portions of the habitat experience a double wet/dry climate, with heavy rainfall in spring and autumn and a dry period in winter, with a somewhat drier period in summer. This double season probably is not important in the cultivation of these plants, but it may explain the double bloom season reported. The plants may be reluctant to flower and that a prolonged dry rest in winter is important.
Fertilizer:
1/4-1/2 recommended strength, applied weekly when plants are actively growing. You can use a high-nitrogen fertilizer from spring to midsummer, and then switch to one high in phosphates in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
In winter, days temperature should be at average 20-21°C, and nights average 9-10°C, with a diurnal range of 10-11°C. Water for cultivated plants should be reduced in winter. In most growing areas, occasional early-morning misting between infrequent light waterings should provide the necessary dry rest while preventing the plants from becoming too dry. Fertilizer should be eliminated until new growth starts and heavier watering is resumed in spring.
COMMENTS