Mystacidium braybonae is known only from the Soutspansberg Mountains in Northern Province. They typically are found on fig trees growing on south-facing slopes at elevations of 800 to 1500 meters, where morning mists are common.
Mystacidium braybonae also called as Braybon's Mystacidium, is a species of the genus Mystacidium. This species was described by Victor Samuel Summerhayes in 1949.
IDENTIFY MYSTACIDIUM BRAYBONAE ORCHID PLANT
Mystacidium braybonae is known only from the Soutspansberg Mountains in Northern Province. They typically are found on fig trees growing on south-facing slopes at elevations of 800 to 1500 meters, where morning mists are common.
It is a mini-miniature sized, warm to cool growing, twig epiphyte with thick grayish-white roots adorned with a tuft of 2-6 cm, dark green leaves which may be deciduous.
Braybon's Mystacidium blooms in the late spring and summer on 5 cm long, spikes emerging from below the leaves carrying a cluster of up to 10 pure white, fragrant flowers. The white, slightly cup-shaped blossoms are up to 2 cm in diameter.
MYSTACIDIUM BRAYBONAE 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:
Mystacidium braybonae needs a light level of 18000-25000 lux. Plants should be grown in moderate shade. 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.
Temperature:
Summer days temperature at average 29-30°C, and nights temperature at average 18°C, with a diurnal range of 12°C.
Humidity:
Braybon's Mystacidium 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:
Mystacidium braybonae do not grow well in containers and they should be mounted on cork or rough-barked slabs. 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 using a very open, fast-draining medium that has excellent drainage, is well aerated, and allows the medium to dry rapidly after watering. Using large chunks of cork and/or charcoal in the way that vandas are grown should produce satisfactory results.
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 midautumn 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 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 22-24°C, and nights average 5-8°C, with a diurnal range of 17°C. Water should be greatly reduced for Mystacidium braybonae in winter, but they should not be left completely without water for long periods. If humidity is high, occasional early-morning mistings between occasional 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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