This is Calanthe Rozel, a hybrid deciduous Calanthe
producing numerous 2 inch flowers.
Calanthe is a genus of about 200 terrestrial species, which are widespread throughout all tropical areas but are highly concentrated in Asia. The first man-made orchid hybrid created was a Calanthe Dominii, back in 1853, and Calanthes were very popular hot-house plants during the Victorian Era, and are still commonly grown by "non-orchid growers." There are two types of Calanthes, the deciduous ones which generally have large, silvery pseudobulbs, drop their leaves in the fall, and require a dry rest during the winter, and the evergreen Calanthes which have either no pseudobulbs or very inconspicuous ones, usually keep their leaves for several seasons, and require even moisture year round. This article will involve only the deciduous Calanthes.
There are several deciduous Calanthe species found in cultivation, including vestita, rosea, regnieri, and cardioglossa. These species are beautiful in their own right, and they have been interbred to make delightful hybrids. The species also each have several color variations, including alba (albino), semi-alba (white with colored lip), and various depths of color. The photo above illustrates the breeding and back breeding of deeply colored forms of vestita and rosea.
 Calanthe vestita v. alba 'Snowstorm' a pure white variety. |
 Calanthe vestita v. fournerii, a pale pink variety. |
They are very easy to care for, especially if you understand their basic needs and growth cycle.
The deciduous Calanthes are native to warm Asian forests which experience a wet spring and summer and a dry fall and winter. They grow terrestrially in deep patches of forest humus, upon rotting logs, and among rocks with crevices filled with leaf litter. In cultivation we must duplicate these conditions in order to get the best growth and blooming from our plants.
| Basic Calanthe culture: Temperature - 55 to 85F, Humidity - 50%+, Light - bright indirect sunlight 2000 to 3000 footcandles, Fertilizer - balanced fertilizer after new growths emerge in the spring continuing thru early autumn. Watering is most important - keep plants constantly moist after new growths are well-up in the spring, and thru early fall. When the leaves begin to yellow in autumn, reduce water to allow the plants to dry between watering. The leaves will wither and die. Keep the plants humid, but with only occasional dampening of the top of the potting media as the flower stems appear and then bloom. Blooming may last several weeks to several months. Divide bulbs and repot as new growths appear in early Spring. |
One of the secrets to healthy Calanthe plants is the repotting. So, I'm going to take you step-by-step on how to do it.
First
lets start with a pot full of Calanthe pseudobulbs, just
as the new growths are emerging from the base of the bulbs. The
flower stems were still blooming, so they have been cut off and
put in a vase, continuing to last for several weeks. This pot
was left intact for two years without repotting. The oldest psuedobulb
was in the center of the pot, and it has rotted away, which is
pretty normal. That original psuedobulb produced two new growths
which bloomed last year, and each of those in turn produced more
pseudobulbs: One of them produced two, while the other only produced
one. So, we now have five pseudobulbs which can be divided from
each other and put into their own individual pots. Even the older
ones will produce more growths from their base.
Carefully
knock the whole group out of the pot. Dislodge the potting media
from the roots, and carefully twist the pseudobulbs free from
one another. Do this very gently. The Calanthe pseudobulbs
pictured here are a little unusual because they are a nice egg-shape.
Many deciduous Calanthes have a "pinched waist"
bulb which is very brittle, and the top breaks off with the slightest
pressure. This is not always a bad thing. You can allow the break
to dry, and lay the broken top horizontally in a pot of media,
and it will usually sprout one or two new plantlets which will
root and start new plants. OK, so be gentle. Allow the divided
pseudobulbs to dry overnight, or you can immediately take some
ROOTONE* rooting hormone/fungicide powder and rub it into the
breaks and sprinkle the roots. (Note: some growers cut the flower
stems for bouquets, unpot the pseudobulbs immediately, and let
them sit to the side until new growths are noticed, and only
then repotted. Works fine, but you risk not noticing until things
are well along.)
Make
up a nice rich, "humus-y" potting medium. I use 2 parts
"Pro-Mix" or 2 parts composted cow manure, 2 parts
fine fir bark, and 1 part perlite. To this I add 1 tablespoon
of a time-release balanced fertilizer, such as 13-13-13, for
every plant I'll be potting up. You can also use just about any
moisture retentive potting medium such as sphagnum moss, coir,
coconut husk chips, or even straight fir bark. Do not use dirt
in your potting medium.
I leave some of the old dead roots on the pseudobulbs when I repot. This provides a way to support the bulbs in the pot so they don't wobble around.
The next step is VERY important. The pseudobulb must not be buried in the potting medium or it, and the new growth may rot.
Put
some of the potting medium in the bottom of the pot (I use 6-inch
plastic pots) and dangle the pseudobulb in the pot with the old
roots touching bottom. Fill in around the roots until about 1
inch BELOW the base of the psuedobulb. NEXT, use fresh medium
grade fir bark or coconut husk chips to fill-in around the roots
the rest of the way, all the way up to the base of the pseudobulbs,
and press down firmly. The base of the pseudobulb should be just
below the lip of the pot.
Do NOT water the plant once it is potted. There are no live roots yet, so the water only risks rot. Place the pot on the bench or the windowsill, where it will get bright light, good humidity, and moving air. Once the growth is up about five or six inches, you will see roots begin to emerge from the base of the pseudobulbs. Wait before watering until the roots are well-down into the potting medium. Then begin to water regularly being very careful to protect the new growth, which rots easily if water is left standing on it. Calanthes do like water, and they will use more of it once the leaves emerge, and by early summer, you may need to water the plant 2 or 3 times a week.
With this rich potting media and time-release fertilizer, you won't have to fertilize the plant very much. You will get a nice set of large, green, palm-like leaves about 14 to 20 inches tall, which last the entire summer.
This
is what your plant will look like when the leaves start falling
off in the fall, after you've stopped watering it for a month
or so. A few leaves remain which can be cut off with a sterile
pair of shears. Notice this plant is one with the "pinch-waist"
pseudobulbs which are very brittle.
The flower stems emerge from the base of the new pseudobulbs in the Fall. The stems generally grow straight-up before arching over, and are often 3 or more feet in length, and sometimes branching. The species normally produce 7 to 15 flowers per stem, while the hybrids can produce many more.
 Calanthe Rozel |
X |
 Calanthe cardioglossa |
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 Calanthe Tennessee Waltz |
Why did a hybrid between these two red parents produce a yellow offspring?
Nashville, Tennessee