Pleione humilis is found from the eastern Himalayas, Assam, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Myanmar. It grow on moss, on Rhododendron and other tree species, plants often forming rings or collars around trunks or branches at elevation of 1800-3200 meters.
Pleione humilis also called as The Low Growing Pleione, Coelogyne humilis, Coelogyne humilis var. albata, Coelogyne humilis var. tricolor, Cymbidium humile, Dendrobium humile, Epidendrum humile, Pleione diantha, Pleione humilis var. adnata, Pleione humilis var. purpurascens, is a species of the genus Pleione. This species was described by David Don in 1825.
IDENTIFY PLEIONE HUMILIS ORCHID PLANT
Pleione humilis is found from the eastern Himalayas, Assam, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Myanmar. It grow on moss, on Rhododendron and other tree species, plants often forming rings or collars around trunks or branches at elevation of 1800-3200 meters.
It is a small sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial or epiphyte with ovoid-conical, 2-6 x 0.8-2 cm pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, deciduous, oblanceolate, subacute, 18-25 x 2.8-3.5 cm leaf.
The Low Growing Pleione blooms in the late winter and early spring on a basal, 7.5 to 12.5 cm long, single flowered inflorescence enveloped by a green sheath with a slightly fragrant, color variable flower. The flowers spreading to nodding; sepals and petals white, lip white, spotted and streaked with crimson or yellow-brown with a central pale yellow zone; pedicel and ovary. Dorsal sepal linear-oblanceolate, apex subacute; lateral sepals obliquely oblanceolate, apex subacute. Petals obliquely linear-oblanceolate, apex rounded; lip oblong-elliptic, obscurely 3-lobed in front, base saccate, margin lacerate in apical half, apex emarginate.
PLEIONE HUMILIS 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 humilis 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:
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Pleione humilis 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 humilis goes to sleep from late autumn to early spring. 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.
COMMENTS