Catasetum barbatum is found in Trinidad, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Paraguay. It is found in a wide variety of open, lowlands habitats, mostly riparian, from 0 to 300 meters above sea level.
Catasetum barbatum also called as The Bearded Catasetum, Catasetum appendiculatum, Catasetum barbatum var proboscideum, Catasetum barbatum var spinosum, Catasetum brachibulbon, Catasetum brachybulbon, Catasetum buchtienii, Catasetum comosum, Catasetum crinitum, Catasetum cristatum var spinosum, Catasetum cristaum var stenosepalum, Catasetum macrocarpum, Catasetum polydactylon, Catasetum proboscideum, Catasetum spinosum, Catasetum variabile, Monachanthus viridis, Myanthus barbatus, Myanthus barbatus var immaculatus, Myanthus spinosus, is a species of the genus Catasetum. This species was described by John Lindley in 1844.
IDENTIFY CATASETUM BARBATUM ORCHID PLANT
Catasetum barbatum is found in Trinidad, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Paraguay. It is found in a wide variety of open, lowlands habitats, mostly riparian, from 0 to 300 meters above sea level.
It is a small to medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with fusiform, 12 cm long and 2.5 cm wide pseudobulbs enveloped by papery white sheaths and carrying 7, linear-oblanceolate, 3 prominently veined, plicate, 24 cm long and 6 cm wide leaves.
The Bearded Catasetum blooms in the spring, summer and occasionally again in the fall on a suberect to pendant, 45 cm long, 20 flowered, racemose inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb and carrying fleshy, fragrant flowers in the apical half. The male flowers are 44 × 35 mm with coloration of peduncle, pedicels, and bracts light green; sepals and petals green with maroon-purple marks; lip light green, lightly spotted with maroon-purple; fringes white; column light green-brown with tiny maroon-purple spots; antennae light green; teeth at the base and callus at the lip apex white. The female flowers are 34 × 28 mm with coloration green, with a few tiny maroon-purple specks near the petal margins.
Some varieties: var. barbatum, var. proboscideum, var. spinosum (sepals and petals heavily spotted red, lip white with longer fringes confined to the distal portion, and with a spine like callus at the apex of the lip). A white form of this species is also known to exist.
CATASETUM BARBATUM 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:
Catasetum barbatum are sun-loving plant and needs a light level of 30000-60000 lux. Should be given as much light as possible short of burning the leaves. This species can be grown under lights if sufficient light intensity can be provided, and the plant certainly can be summered outdoors if their moisture requirements can be met.
Temperature:
In their natural habitat, the climate is evenly hot, moist, and tropical. This climate is almost the same year-round, with high humidity at night, even in the dry season, which is relatively short. The nighttime temperatures rarely fall below 18°C, with daytime highs generally from 29 to 35°C. The important thing is to maintain evenly warm conditions, and for this orchid the closer the night minimum is to 21°C, the better the plants will respond.
Humidity:
The Bearded Catasetum tolerate an environment with 40 - 60 % relative humidity during their growing season, but for optimal development of new growth and flowering, 70 % is recommended.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Catasetum barbatum can be grown in pot, container or wooden basket with fir bark, osmunda, tree fern fiber, charcoal, and sphagnum, in various proportions or combined with still other ingredients such as sponge rock, perlite, leaf mold, peat, and bark screenings as substrate. This plant can also mounted on wood. This option presupposes that the plant is sufficiently strong, that it is not so large as to be unwieldy when hanging from its mount, that the grower can provide adequate humidity for it during the growing season, that the conversion to mounting is done at the very beginning of the growth cycle, and that the species is known to adapt readily to this cultural practice.
It is recommended to repot every year and never wait more than two years. The optimal time for potting or repotting is when new growth on a plant emerging from dormancy is about 5 cm tall and the nubs have developed into new roots that are reaching for support.
Watering:
In its natural habitat it receives rainfall frequently even while dormant. Mounted, basket-grown, and unconventionally potted plant may be watered every sunny day during the growing season, provided conditions are such that they dry off relatively quickly. In the case of conventionally potted adult plants, it should not be necessary to water more than once or, at most, twice a week. This species like to dry out at least slightly between waterings.
Fertilizer:
Fertilize with an appropriate formulation at least every week during the growing season, or fertilize with a weak formula every time the plants are watered. It is important to begin regular applications of high-nitrogen fertilizer (such as 10-5-5) with a full range of trace elements. As the leaves begin to unfurl, and well before flowering, add a high-phosphorus formula to develop big, strong pseudobulbs capable of producing robust inflorescences. Any of the soluble products with a large second-digit number (for example, 3-12-6) constitute a good source of phosphorus.
Rest period:
When the Catasetum barbatum plants are leafless and no new growths are visible, the grower must respect their state of dormancy. Watering frequency should be reduced during dormancy. Fertilization should stop completely during this period. In the springtime, at the beginning of the growth cycle, water should not be made regularly available for the newly developing roots until the new growth is at least 5 cm tall.
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