Aerangis orchid care and culture

Aerangis orchids are widespread in tropical Africa and Madagascar, although some species are very restricted in their distribution, and for many species the plants are not common even where suitable habitats exist

 Aerangis orchid is a genus of the Orchidaceae family. This genus was described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1865. This genus was named refers to the spur that most members of this genus have.

IDENTIFY AERANGIS ORCHID PLANT

 Aerangis orchids are widespread in tropical Africa and Madagascar, although some species are very restricted in their distribution, and for many species the plants are not common even where suitable habitats exist. Thirty-one species are now recognized from continental Africa. Twenty-one are recorded from Madagascar, 5 of which are also found in the Comoro Islands and one in Réunion. One species has been recorded from several places along the coast of East Africa and in Sri Lanka.

© Mathias Öster

 They are epiphytic herbs with short or elongated woody stems bearing numerous elongated aerial roots in the lower part. Stems usually unbranched, covered with the remains of overlapping leaf bases, bearing few to several leaves apically. Leaves in 2 rows, usually thick and fleshy in the living state, sometimes leathery during the dry season, sheathing at the base, much longer than broad and usually wider in the upper half, unequally bilobed at the apex. Inflorescence lateral, a short or elongated raceme, rarely branched, few- to many-flowered.

 The flowers may appear at any time of the year but in the wild they are most common during the rainy seasons in April and May or October and November in Africa and in January and February in Madagascar and neighboring islands. Flowers resupinate, white or variously tinted with green or brown. Sepals and petals free, spreading or reflexed. Lip entire, often similar to the sepals and petals, spurred at the base. Column short and stout or somewhat elongated and more slender, often narrowed towards the base and enlarged at the level of the stigma; androclinium straight or sloping, the anther cap sometimes beaked; rostellum entire, elongated, deflexed or porrect; pollinia 2, sessile on a single stipes; viscidium variously shaped; stigma an oval or rhomboid sticky depression. Ovary elongated, straight or curved. Capsule cylindric or ellipsoid, often much elongated.

 A distinctive feature of the entire genus is the rostellum on the front of the more or less elongated column. It projects forward or downward from the base of the androclinium across the surface of the stigma. In Aerangis fastuosa it is so long that its tip is hidden in the spur, while in Aerangis monantha and Aerangis punctata it is quite straight and extends below the column across the mouth of the spur. In other species it curves forwards so that the viscidium itself is held in a horizontal position in front of the stigma.

AERANGIS 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 orchid needs medium of light for those with soft leaves (near the Phalaenopsis). For those with thick leaves they needs a lot of lights, no direct sun all year round (near the Cattleya).

© orchid dude

Temperature:

 These orchids need a warm temperate, 18 to 30 ° C during the day and 15 to 25 ° C at night. May have place those with thick leaves outside from July 1st to August 15th. The species from higher elevations need cooler conditions than those that occur at or near sea level, and those from near the Equator generally require warmer conditions and higher humidity than those that are found much further south at the same elevation.

Humidity:

 The recommended humidity level for these plants is 60 to 80%, to avoid a rapid dehydration, it is recommended to spray at least once a day in hot weather.

Substrate, growing media and repotting:

 Aerangis orchid will grow well in pots with 80% pine bark and 20% expanded clay beads as substrate. Granulometry to adapt depending on the size of the plant and the roots. For miniatures, we can add sphagnum.

 These plants can also grow well as mounted plants, firmly attached to a piece of bark or cork. Mounted plants should be suspended in deep shade, usually in high humidity.

 Repotting is done every two years in pots or baskets for species to thick and rigid roots (Aerangis verdickii, Aerangis ellisii, Aerangis platyphylla).

Watering:

 The plants from this genus need regulars water all year round. The most difficult thing to arrange, in cultivation, is the resting season that most species enjoy after flowering. If the plants are kept too dry, there is the danger that they will dry out too much and lose their leaves. If they are sprayed with too much cold water or too frequently, the plants will suffer, lose their leaves and die.

© Thomas Ditlevsen

Fertilizer:

 Feed regularly with a balanced, diluted fertilizer during the growing season in spring and summer. Their fertilizer can be scaled back during the dormant season in fall and winter.

Propagation:

 These plants can be propagated by division. Cut away a large section from the stem and replant it in warm, moist conditions. Many gardeners cover new divisions with bags in order to seal in moisture, and you can also treat the cuttings with rooting hormone. Be patient: it can take a little while for tropical orchids to root in a new environment.

BUY AERANGIS ORCHID PLANT AND RELATED PRODUCTS

BUY ANOTHERS SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF AERANGIS ORCHID GENUS HERE!

SOME SPECIES AND HYBRIDS OF AERANGIS WITH CULTURE SHEET AND CARE TIPS:

1. Aerangis appendiculata - The Appendaged Aerangis
2. Aerangis arachnopus - The Spider-Like Column Foot
3. Aerangis articulata - The Articulated Aerangis
4. Aerangis biloba - The Two-lobed Aerangis
5. Aerangis brachycarpa - The Short Seed Pod Aerangis
6. Aerangis citrata - The Lemon-scented Aerangis
7. Aerangis collum-cygni - The Swan Necked Aerangis
8. Aerangis confusa - The Confused Aerangis
9. Aerangis coriacea - The Leathery Aerangis
10. Aerangis cryptodon - The Aerangis with the Hidden Tooth
11. Aerangis curnowiana - Curnow's Aerangis
12. Aerangis distincta - The Distinct Aerangis
13. Aerangis ellisii - Ellis' Aerangis
14. Aerangis fastuosa - The Magnificent Aerangis
15. Aerangis fuscata - The Brownish Aerangis
16. Aerangis hyaloides - The Glossy Aerangis
17. Aerangis kotschyana - Kotschy's Aerangis
18. Aerangis luteoalba var. rhodosticta - The Beige Aerangis with Red Spots
19. Aerangis macrocentra - The Large-Spurred Aerangis
20. Aerangis modesta - The Modest Aerangis
21. Aerangis mooreana - Moore's Aerangis
22. Aerangis mystacidii - The Mystacidium-like Aerangis
23. Aerangis punctata - The Dotted Aerangis
24. Aerangis somalensis - The Somali Aerangis
25. Aerangis spiculata - The Spiked Aerangis
26. Aerangis splendida - The Splendid Aerangis
27. Aerangis thomsonii - Thomson's Aerangis
28. Aerangis ugandensis - The Ugandan Aerangis
29. Aerangis verdickii - Verdick's Aerangis