Catasetum spitzii is endemic to the Brazilian state of Goiás on the central plateau. It grows in open savannah at elevations up to 800 meters. Host trees are various palms, the souari nut tree, the senna tree, the lixeira, and the typical savannah trees Tabebuia caraiba and Guajacum sanctum , with rough, corklike bark.
Catasetum spitzii also called as Spitz's Catasetum, Catasetum spitzii f. album, Catasetum spitzii var. album, Catasetum spitzii var. roseum, Catasetum spitzii var. sanguineum, is a species of the genus Catasetum. This species was described by Frederico Carlos Hoehne in 1941.
IDENTIFY CATASETUM SPITZII ORCHID PLANT
Catasetum spitzii is endemic to the Brazilian state of Goiás on the central plateau. It grows in open savannah at elevations up to 800 meters. Host trees are various palms, the souari nut tree, the senna tree, the lixeira, and the typical savannah trees Tabebuia caraiba and Guajacum sanctum , with rough, corklike bark.
It is a medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with short, fusiform, to 12 cm long and 5.5 cm wide pseudobulbs carrying several, plicate, narrowly elliptic, acute, to 38 cm long and 8 cm wide leaves.
Spitz's Catasetum blooms in the fall on a newly developing pseudobulb with a basal, 40 cm long, horizontal, 11 to 35 flowered inflorescence carrying color and size variable flowers. The male flowers are 58 x 52 mm in their natural position with coloration of sepals and petals pale green; lip pale green to chartreuse; conical callus deep yellow; column pale green; lip inside and both sides of column glossy. The female flowers are 55 x 27 mm with coloration green; inside of lip sac with darker striations; peduncle and pedicels almond green.
Some varieties: var. album (green-white sepals and petals, lip white, sometimes with a yellowish tint in the callus area), var. roseum (rose-colored flowers, with more intense color on the lip), and var. sanguineum (blood-red lip).
The key to identify this species is the lip form of male flowers more convex than pouch-shaped, with only a slight trough like depression in the center, below the thick callus at the base of the disc. Rounded apex of the midlobe extremely thick, margins of lateral lobes have cilia, and most pseudobulbs uncommonly short and plump.
CATASETUM SPITZII 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 spitzii 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:
The climate in their natural habitat is essentially continental. The dry season is long and the humidity is very low throughout much of the year. Days are hot and dry, while nights are fairly cool. The terrain is typically tropical to subtropical savannah country, with the surface soil shallow and incapable of sustaining large trees. Temperatures range from a maximum 40°C to a minimum 10°C. In cultivation, 18°C is the ideal minimum night temperature.
Humidity:
Spitz'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 spitzii is best grown in a suspended pot or basket filled with wood and bark chunks cause of its nearly horizontal inflorescence. 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. The 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 spitzii requires a long rest matching the protracted dry season in its natural habitat. In cultivation, 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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