Cyrtorchis arcuata is found throughout most of tropical Africa to as far south as the southern coast of South Africa. Plants grow most often in woodland, but may sometimes be found in riverine forest, at 600-1600 meters.
Cyrtorchis arcuata also called as The Bow-Shaped Raceme Cyrtorchis, Angorchis arcuata, Angorchis sedenii, Angraecum arcuatum, Angraecum sedeni, Angraecum sedenii, Angraecum whytei, Cyrtorchis arcuata subsp. leonensis, Cyrtorchis arcuata subsp. whytei, Cyrtorchis arcuata var. variabilis, Cyrtorchis arcuata var. whytei, Cyrtorchis bracteata, Cyrtorchis neglecta, Cyrtorchis sedeni, Cyrtorchis whytei, Listrostachys arcuata, Listrostachys sedeni, Listrostachys whytei, is a species of the genus Cyrtorchis. This species was described by Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter in 1914.
IDENTIFY CYRTORCHIS ARCUATA ORCHID PLANT
Cyrtorchis arcuata is found throughout most of tropical Africa to as far south as the southern coast of South Africa. Plants grow most often in woodland, but may sometimes be found in riverine forest, at 600-1600 meters.
It is a small sized, warm to cold growing epiphyte or occasional monopodial lithophyte with a stout, long, pendulous stem enveloped by persistent, distichous, dark brown leaf sheaths carrying many, robust aerial roots and 6 to 12, oblong, obliquely apically bilobed, fleshy coriaceous leaves.
The Bow-Shaped Raceme Cyrtorchis blooms in the spring on an axillary, bracteate, raceme up to 20 cm in length, with up to 10 to 14 waxy, nocturnally, sweetly fragrant flowers with prominent bracts occuring in the summer. The spreading, rather star-shaped flowers are white tinged with green or salmon pink but fade to orange or apricot with age. They are strongly fragrant in the evening.
CYRTORCHIS ARCUATA 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:
Cyrtorchis arcuata needs a light level of 25000-45000 lux. Light should be somewhat filtered or diffused, and plants should not be exposed to direct midday sun. Strong air movement should be provided at all times.
Temperature:
Summer days temperature at average 27°C, and nights temperature at average 15-16°C, with a diurnal range of 12°C.
Humidity:
The Bow-Shaped Raceme Cyrtorchis need the humidity of 60-65% in summer and early autumn, dropping to 50-55% from late autumn through the following spring.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Cyrtorchis arcuata grow well in a basket; it can also be mounted on bark. If grown in a pot, it needs to have a very coarse mix, otherwise the thick roots will start to rot. 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 pot or 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.
Growers generally use coarse fir bark or shredded tree-fern fiber and add varying amounts of chunky perlite to keep the medium open and retain some moisture. 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 habitat is moderate from late spring into early autumn. Amounts then drop fairly rapidly into a dry season that extends from mid-autumn into early spring. Cultivated plants should watered regularly while actively growing, but their roots should be able to dry fairly rapidly after watering. Water should be reduced after new growth has matured in late autumn.
Fertilizer:
1/4-1/2 recommended strength, applied weekly when plants are actively growing. You can use a balanced fertilizer throughout the year; but also can use a high-nitrogen fertilizer from spring to midsummer, then switch to one high in phosphates in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Winter days temperature at average 19-22°C, and nights average 2-5°C, with a diurnal range of 17°C. Water should be greatly reduced for Cyrtorchis arcuata in winter, but they should not be left completely without water for long periods. If humidity is high, occasional early-morning mistings between infrequent light waterings should provide sufficient moisture in most growing areas. Fertilizer should be eliminated until new growth starts and heavier watering is resumed in spring.
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