Catasetum longifolium care and culture

Catasetum longifolium is found from North South America to North Brazil. It grows in lowland and intermediate-elevation forests, no higher than 800 meters, under shady conditions in stands of Mauritia flexuosa palm trees along the banks of very slow moving small rivers and streams, flooded forest, and shallow lakes.

 Catasetum longifolium also called as The Long Leafed Catasetum, Monachanthus longifolius, is a species of the genus Catasetum. This species was described by John Lindley in 1839.

IDENTIFY CATASETUM LONGIFOLIUM ORCHID PLANT

 Catasetum longifolium is found from North South America to North Brazil. It grows in lowland and intermediate-elevation forests, no higher than 800 meters, under shady conditions in stands of Mauritia flexuosa palm trees along the banks of very slow moving small rivers and streams, flooded forest, and shallow lakes.

 It is a large sized, pendant and hot to warm growing epiphyte with fusiform, cylindrical, slightly compressed, to 20 cm long and 4.5 cm wide pseudobulbs carrying linear-ligulate, 3 nerved, plicate, acute, to 6090 mm long and 1525 mm wide leaves.

 The Long Leafed Catasetum blooms in the spring as the new growths arise on a basal, pendent, 20 to 30 cm long, to 20 flowered inflorescence arising on a just maturing pseudobulb with mostly male flowers but the basal few may be female with the ones in between being hermaphroditic. The male flowers are 2 cm in diameter with coloration of sepals and petals maroon or golden brown-colored; lip yellow-brown to red-orange outside, orange inside, apex dark red; column yellowish. The female flowers are not seen.

 The key to identify this species is its growth habit pendent, with long, narrow, ribbonlike leaves, no antennae with small, pleasantly scented male flowers similar to those of Catasetum discolor, but the lip is deeper, the fringe on the margins is less conspicuous, the flowers are resupinate, and the inflorescence pendent. Female flowers are reportedly similar to those of Catasetum discolor.

CATASETUM LONGIFOLIUM 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 longifolium are sun-loving plant and needs a light level of 30000-60000 lux. Unless the strong air movement found in the natural habitat can be duplicated, however, the grower should provide some shade (20 % shade). 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.

© JuanFGomez

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 Long Leafed 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 longifolium is best 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 can also be grown in pot, 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.

 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.

© Valdison Gil

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:

 Catasetum longifolium have a relatively short dormant period between leaf fall and new growth, and sometimes no dormancy at all, so the likelihood that at least some of their basic root system will survive from one growing season to the next increases. For this reason it is desirable to maintain a watering schedule, albeit reduced, during dormancy.

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