Prosthechea pygmaea - Dwarf Prosthechea - Dwarf butterfly orchid flowers are held close to the apex of the pseudobulb. Sepals and petals are light...
Prosthechea pygmaea, also called as Dwarf Prosthechea, Dwarf butterfly orchid, Anacheilium pygmaeum, Coelogyne triptera, Encyclia pygmaea, Encyclia triptera, Epidendrum caespitosum, Epidendrum hioramii, Epidendrum monanthum, Epidendrum pygmaeum, Epidendrum uniflorum, Hormidium hioramii, Hormidium humile, Hormidium pygmaeum, Hormidium tripterum, Hormidium uniflorum, Lanium hioramii, Microstylis humilis, is a species in the genus Prosthechea. This species was described by Wesley Ervin Higgins in 1998.
DESCRIPTION OF PROSTHECHEA PYGMAEA - DWARF PROSTHECHEA - DWARF BUTTERFLY ORCHID
Prosthechea pygmaea is native to Southern Florida, Mexico to Tropical America. It is found growing on on oak trees in wet montane forests in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Florida, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is. at elevations of 0-1700 meters above sea level.
It is a hot to cool growing, miniature sized, creeping epiphyte which reaching to 12 cm in height that form dense mats with fusiform, bifoliate, 2-4 cm long, dark green pseudobulbs that are partially enveloped basally by a few scarious sheaths. The leaves are 2, apical, narrowly lanceolate, acute, conduplicate at the base, 22-55 cm long, dark green.
Dwarf butterfly orchid blooms in the spring, summer and the fall from the terminal, very short, subsessile, subumbellate, 1-3 flowered inflorescence that arise on a mature pseudobulb. The flowers are resupinate, successive, 0.5-1 cm in diameter and are held close to the apex of the pseudobulb. Sepals and petals are light yellowish green to green or brownish green; lip is white with purple blotch on middle lobe; anthers orange; column white.
PROSTHECHEA PYGMAEA - DWARF PROSTHECHEA - DWARF BUTTERFLY ORCHID 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:
Prosthechea pygmaea needs a light level of 10000-20000 lux. The light should be filtered or diffused and the plants should not be exposed to direct midday sun. Strong air movement should be provided all the time.
Temperature:
In summer, the average day temperature is 27-30 °C, and the night 17-19 °C, with a daily amplitude of 8-10 °C. In winter the average daytime temperatures are 25-27 °C, and 16-18 °C during the night, while the daily amplitude is 8-11 °C.
Humidity:
Dwarf butterfly orchid needs the humidity of 80% in the period of growth, in winter and spring it falls to 60-70%. Too dry air has a negative effect on the development of the plant: its growth is inhibited, and the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out. The higher temperature, the higher the humidity should be, and the higher the humidity, the more often and longer it is necessary to ventilate the room where the plants are contained, otherwise the probability of rotting and various kinds of fungal diseases. Good air movement is essential while the plants are in leaf and growing.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Prosthechea pygmaea are most often grown in pots or baskets with a very thick, loose and well-drained substrate. There should be plenty of space in the pots to allow the roots to dry quickly after watering. It is recommended to use smaller pots sufficient for only one or two years of growth, because the substrate in larger pots remains wet after watering for too long. Roots that do not dry out quickly enough after watering rot. Most growers recommend medium grain bark, though others prefer medium cork pieces mixed with large lumps of charcoal.
The plants also grow well mounted on tree-fern or cork rootstocks, provided that high humidity is ensured. Fixed plants require high humidity and at least daily watering in summer, and in the case of dry and hot weather, it may be necessary to water several times a day.
Transplanting or splitting is best done when new roots begin to emerge, or immediately after blooming. This allows the plants to acclimate in a relatively short time and provides them with the least stress.
Watering:
The plants should be watered abundantly during active growth, but their roots must dry out quickly after watering. At the end of autumn, the amount of water should be gradually reduced.
Fertilizer:
Dwarf butterfly orchid should be fertilized every week 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. A fertilizer with a high nitrogen content is beneficial from spring to mid-summer, and a phosphorus-rich fertilizer can be used in late summer and autumn. Higher phosphorus content stimulates better flowering in the next season and promotes hardening of new growth before winter.
To avoid the accumulation of mineral deposits during periods of strong fertilization, it is recommended to rinse the containers approximately every month.
Rest period:
Prosthechea pygmaea grown in cool conditions should be kept relatively dry in winter, with occasional fogging between rare waterings. However, those grown in warmer conditions need more water and significant drying up between waterings. However, it must not be allowed keep them dry for a long time. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated until new growths appear and watering begins more abundantly in the spring.
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