Maxillaria elatior - Sturdy Maxillaria flowers are 5 cm in diameter with a thin pedicel ovary, red-brown over an ocraceous background...
Maxillaria elatior, also called as Sturdy Maxillaria, Camaridium xylobiichilum, Dicrypta elatior, Maxillaria alberti, Maxillaria triangularis, Maxillariella elatior, is a species of the genus Maxillaria. This species was described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1863.
DESCRIPTION OF MAXILLARIA ELATIOR - STURDY MAXILLARIA
Maxillaria elatior is native to Southern Mexico to Central America. It is found growing on larger branches in evergreen forests in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua at elevations of 400-1500 meters above sea level.
It is a medium sized, cool to warm growing epiphyte with elongated rhizome that are covered with brown conduplicate carinate sheaths. The pseudobulbs are 4-5 cm long, ovate, smooth to rugose, laterally compressed, enveloped basally by several, distichous, imbricate, deciduous, conduplicate leaf-bearing sheaths. The leaves are 1-2, 4-20 cm long, glossy, with a short 3 cm long petiole.
Sturdy Maxillaria blooms in the fall, winter and spring from the apical, short, sheathed, single flowered inflorescence that arising from the axils of the leaf sheaths with short peduncle. The flowers are 5 cm in diameter with a thin pedicel ovary, red-brown over an ocraceous background, petals and center of the lip are darker than the sepals, base of the lip and anterior face of the column are blotchy over a yellow background.
MAXILLARIA ELATIOR - STURDY 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 elatior needs a light level of 18000-25000 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 23-25 °C, night 14-16 °C with daily amplitude of 8-9 °C. If a cooling air humidifier is used, the plants will grow well near the cold, moist outlet. In winter, the average day temperatures are 17-18 ° C, and the night around 10 ° C with the daily amplitude of 7-8 ° C.
Humidity:
Sturdy 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 elatior 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. When plants are grown in pots, it will be good for their climbing habit to use tree fern supports placed in or attached to a container. 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:
Sturdy 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 elatior 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.
COMMENTS