Catasetum rolfeanum is found in Brazil, northern Amazon basin, specifically northwestern Pará State. It grows in campina (typical Amazonian grassland with some woody vegetation) and in swamp thickets along the igapós (seasonally flooded forests).
Catasetum rolfeanum also called as Rolfe's Catasetum, Catasetum stenochilum, is a species of the genus Catasetum. This species was described by Rudolf Mansfeld in 1928.
IDENTIFY CATASETUM ROLFEANUM ORCHID PLANT
Catasetum rolfeanum is found in Brazil, northern Amazon basin, specifically northwestern Pará State. It grows in campina (typical Amazonian grassland with some woody vegetation) and in swamp thickets along the igapós (seasonally flooded forests).
It is a medium sized, hot growing epiphyte that has fusiform, slightly compressed, to 12 cm long and 1.3 cm wide pseudobulbs carrying leaflike sheaths and lanceolate, medium to dark green, to 25 cm long and 4 cm wide leaves.
Rolfe's Catasetum blooms in the early spring on a male, arching, to 55 cm long inflorescence arising on a newly forming pseudobulb carrying up to 20 flowers. The flowers are 3.75 cm in diameter with coloration of peduncle and pedicels green; sepals and petals green with heavy dark red-brown mottling; lip green, the lateral margins dark red-brown, especially the fringes; callus yellow; apex of midlobe cream-colored. The female flowers are not seen.
This species is appears to be like Catasetum juruenense var. mansfeldianum, but the inflorescence is longer and the lip is quite different, especially the fringes on the margins.
CATASETUM ROLFEANUM 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 rolfeanum 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 (40-60 % 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.
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:
Rolfe's 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 rolfeanum can be grown in 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 plant may be watered every sunny day during the growing season, provided conditions are such that they dry off relatively quickly. 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:
Catasetum rolfeanum requires only a short rest period. When the 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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