Maxillaria alba - White Flowered Maxillaria flowers are 2-3 cm in diameter, white, somewhat bell-shaped, fragrant, with a thin pedicel ovary...
Maxillaria alba, also called as White Flowered Maxillaria, Broughtonia alba, Camaridium album, Dendrobium album, Maxillaria hedyosma, Maxillariella alba, is a species of the genus Maxillaria. This species was described by John Lindley in 1832.
DESCRIPTION OF MAXILLARIA ALBA - WHITE FLOWERED MAXILLARIA
Maxillaria alba is native to Tropical America. It is found growing in lower montane forests in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico Southeast, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela at elevations of 0-1900 meters above sea level.
It is a small sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte with elongated, ascending rhizome. The pseudobulbs are compressed, unifoliate, 5 cm long, covered with several imbricate sheaths. The single leaf is apical, erect, subcoriaceous, linear to narrowly elliptic, gradually narrowing below into the shortly petiolate base and the obtuse apex, 25-40 cm long.
White Flowered Maxillaria blooms in late summer and early fall from the few single flowered, 2 to 3 cm long inflorescence arising from between the cataphylls of an arising shoot. The flowers are 2-3 cm in diameter, white, somewhat bell-shaped, fragrant, with a thin pedicel ovary with white with a yellow base column.
This plant is very similar to M. densa in the same habitat, but generally can be differentiated by the presence or absence of numerous old flower bases which remain for almost a year.
MAXILLARIA ALBA - WHITE FLOWERED MAXILLARIA 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:
Maxillaria alba needs a light level of 20000-30000 lux. Moderately bright light should be filtered or dispersed, the plants should never be exposed to the direct effects of the midday sun. The strong air movement should be ensured at all times.
Temperature:
The average temperature of the summer day is 28-30 °C, night 17-19 °C with daily amplitude of 10-11 °C. In winter, the average day temperatures are 28-29 ° C, and the night around 16-18 ° C with the daily amplitude of 10-11 ° C.
Humidity:
White Flowered Maxillaria needs the humidity of about 70-80% for most of the year. 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:
Maxillaria alba can be grown both in pots with good drainage as well as mounted on a piece of cork oak or tree fern. However, it should be remembered that in the second case the plants require high humidity, and during hot and dry weather it may be necessary to water several times each day.
For this reason, it is easier to grow in pots or hanging baskets filled with very loose, quickly drying substrate. The most commonly used growing medium is medium-sized fir bark or shredded tree-fern fiber with the addition of coarse pearlite to keep the substrate cool while providing the right amount of moisture. The addition of charcoal also has a positive effect on the structure of the substrate and prevents its acidification.
The plants should be repotted immediately if the substrate is decomposing or when the pot is too small. Repotting is best done at the time of emergence of new roots, which guarantees that the plant will regenerate its strength in the shortest possible time.
Watering:
White Flowered Maxillaria should be watered frequently while they are actively growing, but there should be excellent drainage and the roots need to dry out quickly after watering. When the new growths reach maturity in the fall, the amount of water should be reduced.
Fertilizer:
During the period of active growth, the plants should be fertilized every week with 1/4-1/2 doses of fertilizer for orchids. You can use sustainable fertilizer throughout the year, but also can use a high nitrogen fertilizer from spring to mid summer, then in late summer and autumn use fertilizer with a predominance of phosphorus.
Rest period:
Maxillaria alba does not need a rest period in winter, and such conditions should be maintained throughout the year. In winter, the amount of water should be reduced somewhat, especially if the plants are grown in cooler conditions, or in the darker, short day conditions, but the plants should never be completely without water. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated until new growths appear and watering begins more abundantly in the spring.
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