Pleione hookeriana is found from the eastern Himalayas, Assam, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and southern China. It grow on tree trunks, mossy rocks and cliffs in mixed bamboo and rhododendron scrub at elevation of 1600-3100 meters above sea level.
Pleione hookeriana also called as Hooker's Pleione, Coelogyne hookeriana, Coelogyne hookeriana var. brachyglossa, Coelogyne schilleriana, Pleione hookeriana var. brachyglossa, Pleione laotica, Pleione schilleriana, is a species of the genus Pleione. This species was described by Rollisson in 1876.
IDENTIFY PLEIONE HOOKERIANA ORCHID PLANT
Pleione hookeriana is found from the eastern Himalayas, Assam, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and southern China. It grow on tree trunks, mossy rocks and cliffs in mixed bamboo and rhododendron scrub at elevation of 1600-3100 meters above sea level.
It is a small sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte, lithophyte or terrestrial, deciduous species with conical, clustered, 1-2 x 0.5-1 cm pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, persistent, plicate, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 6-10 x 2-2.8 cm leaf that tapers gradually to the petiolate base.
Hooker's Pleione blooms as the new growths are appearing in the mid-spring and summer on a slender, sheathed, 12 cm long, single flowered inflorescence with tubular, obliquely truncate, obtuse floral bract. The flowers are small; sepals and petals pale purplish red to nearly white, lip white with a yellow center and purple or yellowish brown spots; pedicel and ovary. Dorsal sepal sub-oblong or oblanceolate, apex acute; lateral sepals lanceolate, falcate, slightly oblique, usually as wide as but slightly shorter than dorsal sepal, apex acute. Petals oblanceolate, apex acute; lip oblate or sub-cordate, obscurely 3-lobed, apical margin irregularly denticulate or almost entire, apex emarginate.
PLEIONE HOOKERIANA 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:
Pleione hookeriana needs a light level of 18000-30000 lux. This species prefer about 50%-70% shade and should not be placed in full sun.
Temperature:
The recommended temperature is 25°C in summer and 1-5°C in winter. However they will tolerate higher summer temperatures of 35°C for short periods. They need cool to cold temperatures in winter of between 1 and 5°C.
Humidity:
Hooker's Pleione need good air movement. Place them near the bottom of the shade house where it is coolest and humidity highest. Misting is beneficial in very hot weather.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Pleione hookeriana grow best in squat pots. This plant require a free draining open potting mix. Small sized bark mixed with perlite in a 3:1 ratio is a suitable mix. Some growers use sphagnum moss instead of perlite but this can become soggy and perlite is considered a better option.
The plant should be repotted when they are dormant in winter. Their roots die at the end of the season. When repotting remove all the roots leaving about 3 cm of roots to anchor the pseudobulb in the compost.
Watering:
This orchid should be watered regularly through the warmer months but totally dry in winter. Water in the early morning and not during the heat of the day. Roots start to grow as the flowers die and only a little water should be given from this time on as they have yet to develop roots. Keeping them drier at the start of the growing season also encourages the roots to penetrate. Over watering during the early root growth stage is a major cause of plant loss. Once leaves are well developed they can be watered freely. Stop watering when the leaves go yellow and allow them to become completely dry.
Fertilizer:
You can use regular but weak liquid fertilizer during their growing period but not when they are dormant. Use a lower Nitrogen fertiliser at the end of summer to encourage flower bud development.
Rest period:
Pleione hookeriana goes to sleep from late autumn to early spring. This plant have a longer cold dormant period in winter than other Pleione species and can be kept in the fridge if necessary. Watering should be stopped when the leaves begin to fall. Fertilization should be stopped during this period. When new sprouts appears, the rest period end, the amount of water and fertilizer can be back to normal level.
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