Pleione praecox is found from the west-central Himalaya to China (Bangladesh, Bhutan, NE India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, North Thailand, North Vietnam). It grows on tree trunks and mossy rocks in forests, cliffs at elevations of 1200-2500 meters above sea level.
Pleione praecox also called as The Early Blooming Pleione, Epidendrum praecox, Coelogyne birmanica, Coelogyne praecox, Coelogyne praecox var. sanguinea, Coelogyne praecox var. tenera, Coelogyne praecox var. wallichiana, Coelogyne reichenbachiana, Coelogyne wallichiana, Cymbidium praecox, Dendrobium praecox, Pleione birmanica, Pleione concolor, Pleione praecox f. candida, Pleione praecox var. alba, Pleione praecox var. candida, Pleione praecox var. reichenbachiana, Pleione reichenbachiana, Pleione wallichiana, is a species of the genus Pleione. This species was described by David Don in 1825.
IDENTIFY PLEIONE PRAECOX ORCHID PLANT
Pleione praecox is found from the west-central Himalaya to China (Bangladesh, Bhutan, NE India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, North Thailand, North Vietnam). It grows on tree trunks and mossy rocks in forests, cliffs at elevations of 1200-2500 meters above sea level.
It is a mall sized, lithophytic and epiphytic, cool to cold growing species with shortly cylindrical, maroon, 1.5-4 x 1-2.3 cm pseudobulbs covered by greenish warts carrying 2 apical, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 9-20 x 1.7-6.7 cm leaves.
The Early Blooming Pleione blooms in September- October on a basal, erect, 7.5 to 15 cm long inflorescence with 1 to sometimes 2, fragrant flowers and warty, basal sheaths on old, leafless psuedobulbs but occasionally with the leaves still present. The flowers are large, pink to purplish red, rarely white, with a yellow callus and occasionally with purple spots on lip. Dorsal sepal suboblong-lanceolate, apex acute; lateral sepals slightly oblique, slightly wider at base than dorsal sepal, apex acute. Petals linear-lanceolate, slightly falcate, apex acute; lip obovate-elliptic or elliptic, obscurely 3-lobed; lateral lobes inconspicuous; mid-lobe lacerate on apical margin, apex emarginate; disk with 3-5 rows of papillae extending from base of lip to midway along mid-lobe. Column arcuate, apex irregularly toothed.
PLEIONE PRAECOX 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 praecox 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 10°C in winter. However they will tolerate higher summer temperatures of 35°C for short periods. They are more susceptible to frost than others species of this genus.
Humidity:
The Early Blooming 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 praecox 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 praecox have a much shorter dormant period and flower in autumn and winter than others species of the genus Pleione. 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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