Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Pleione and Orchidaceae => Topic started by: Maren on March 26, 2012, 09:41:48 AM
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Hi,
at the recent London Orchid Show I saw this beauty but was too late to buy its little sister.
If anyone has a plant for sale or swap, I'd be very interested.
The cooler growing calanthes grow well with pleiones, as I found out when I looked underneath Ian Butterfield's staging, where he keeps the most dazzling plants. I'll take some pics when they flower next, should be in a month or so.
Calanthe arisanensis
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I've never seen this Taiwanese beauty in real life, Maren.
It is lovely... here's a good photo I saw on flickr :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomas_orchids/3335864989/
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No pictures yet, just happiness that both C. delavayi and C. tricarinata appear to have survived the winter unprotected :)
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Hi Maggi,
thanks for contributing to this. Mind you, the picture you found looks rather different to the plant pictured above in that the flowers are wide open, while my picture shows the flowers quite closed. Now this could be a sign that the plant was at the beginning of flowering or that it may not be Calanthe arisanensis. I made this assumption because what it said on the label did not find any match in the International Plant Name Index (IPNI). Here is a picture of the label.
If anyone can come up with a different and feasible interpretation, I would be most grateful.
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It's not C. aristulifera, then? Both species begin with an "A", at least... ;)
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Now, that is interesting.... I just thought that the plant in Maren's picture was just opening its flowers (or was a little tired from being at the show).... when I look more carefully at the pic on the link, it seems the flowers there have a much shorter spur..... ???
online description here : http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=100&taxon_id=242309642
Quote :
Calanthe arisanensis Hayata, J. Coll. Sci. Univ. Tokyo. 30: 327. 1911; Liu & Su, Fl. Taiwan 5: 906. 1978; Su, Quart. J. Expt. Forest. Natl. Taiwan Univ. 4(3): 150, pl. 6. 1990.
Calanthe sasakii Hayata, Icon. Pl. Formosan. 4: 71, f. 35. 1914.
= Calanthe arisanensis
Plants 30-50 cm tall. Pseudobulbs tufted, globose-ovoid, 1.5 cm long, with 2 or 3 nodes. Leaves 2 or 3, lanceolate, 30-40 cm long, 4-7 cm wide, apex acuminate, base cuneate, gradually narrowed into petiole; petiole 5-15 cm long. Scapes 40-50 cm long, green or tinged with purple, rachis 5-10 cm long; bracts lanceolate, 1-2 cm long; pedicel and ovary 3-4 cm long, ovary nearly glabrous, with 6 sharp raised ridges. Flowers 5-10, loosely spaced, white or tinged with light purple, widely opening; dorsal sepal lanceolate-ovate, 20-25 mm long, 9-11 mm wide, acuminate at apex, slightly contracted at base; lateral sepals similar but +/-longer and oblique, 25-27 mm long, 10 mm wide, acute at apex, strongly contracted at base; petals linear lanceolate, 18-20 mm long, 4 mm wide; lip adnate to column at base, spurred, orbicular, 13-15 mm long, 18-20 mm wide, 3-lobed, central lobe orbicular, 9 mm across, aristate at apex, undulate-crisped, lateral lobes falcate, ovate, entire or slightly undulate, disc often with 3 low ridges near base, spur 1-1.5 cm long, slender, slightly incurved; column 7-9 mm long, connate ventrally with base of lip; anther white, elongate, cordate, 4 mm long; pollinia yellowish white, in 2 groups of 4 (2 long and 2 short), attached to a oblong viscidium; stigma a solitary large cavity; rostellum short, bifid. Capsules to 5 cm long, with sharp wing-like ridges.
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It's not C. aristulifera, then? Both species begin with an "A", at least... ;)
Aha! You may have the clue there!
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=100&taxon_id=242442774
Quote :
Calanthe aristulifera Rchb. f., Bot. Zeit. 36: 74. 1878; Liu & Su, Fl. Taiwan 5: 906. 1978; Su, Quart. J. Expt. Forest. Natl. Taiwan Univ. 4(3): 150, pl. 7. 1990.
Calanthe elliptica Hayata
Calanthe kirishimensis Yatabe
Calanthe raishaensis Hayata
Plants 30-50 cm tall. Pseudobulbs tufted, globose to ovoid, 1.5-2 cm long, with 2 or 3 nodes. Leaves 2-4, +/- rigid, nearly erect, oblong, 25-30 cm long, 7-8 cm wide, acute at apex, cuneate at base, strongly plicate, entire; petiole ca. 25 cm long, canaliculate, ridged outside. Scapes arising with young leaves, ca. 30 cm tall, slender; rachis 20 cm long; bracts lanceolate, 5-7 mm long, acuminate; pedicel and ovary 1.5-2 cm long, ovary short pubescent. Flowers pendulous, loosely spaced, white, slightly tinged with purple outside; sepals oblong, 1.5-2 cm long, 8 mm wide, acute at apex, contracted at base; petals linear-oblong, 1.2-1.5 cm long, 4-5 mm wide, acute at apex, narrow at base; lip connate at base with column, orbicular, 1 cm long, 1-1.5 cm wide, spurred, shallowly 3-lobed, lateral lobes falcate rectangular, truncate at apex, central lobe smaller, orbicular-square, often grooved and apiculate at tip, with 3-5 fleshy yellow raised ridges, ridges nearly parallel, sometimes interrupted midway, spur straight, 2-3 cm long, shortly pilose outside, pointing upward from pendulous flower; column 4-5 mm long; anther fleshy, ovate, with caudate apex; pollinia short clavate, 2 mm long, attached through short caudicles to a broad viscidium; stigma solitary, semiorbicular; rostellum short, bifid.
....And an image search reveals a plant much more like Maren's photo!
For example:
http://lanesidehardyorchids.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=38
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http://www.orchidspecies.com/calarisanensis.htm
http://www.orchidspecies.com/calaristulifera.htm
Oh my ::)
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Don't get too excited Fred, I've been growing it for over three years, but I've yet to see a flower on it. :-\
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Hi Peter,
which one have you been growing for three years without it flowering? C. aristulifera? You're not alone. I thought I'd killed mine, but since I put it into my intermediate house, it has grown two leaves!!! at least it's g(r)owing in the right direction. :D :D :D
Not having a lot of luck with C. sylvatica, a division of which was given to me by a friend who grows it to perfection. It is growing alright but every time it develops a flower stalk, the top rots off. Most weird.
All my cooler growing calanthes are doing really well. Here is C. nipponica, which sulked for two years before producing a flower spike with 12 flowers over three months, and four really good growths for the new season.
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which one have you been growing for three years without it flowering?
All of them Maren! :-[
Well about six different species/hybrids, C aristulifera amongst them. I have a lovely red form of Calanthe 'Kozu Hybrid' and a photo to prove it, as it was in flower the year that I bought it - it's never flowered since (4+ years).
I've yet to get any Calanthe to re-flower, so I'm doing something wrong somewhere. Currently I'm trying to keep them in growth throughout the winter (so far so good!), then to ensure copious amounts of water through the growing season (a tip that I got from Geoff Hutchins, who got it from Phillip Cribb, I believe). We'll see what this season brings. :-\
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I grew aristulifera for 12 years without it flowering.
The only good flowering I ever had on C.discolor was when I fed it to what seemed a ridiculous extent by basically mulching the top of the pot with pelleted poultry manure. Perhaps feeding to a much greater extent than you normally would with orchids is the key?
I ended up disposing of both in disillusionment!
C. tricarinata was always a reliable flowerer until the 2010/2011 winter killed it.
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They were well- fed and watered last year, so let's see what this year's emerging buds produce. Fingers crossed!
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I believe the feeding is the key. Ian B. grows magnificent calanthes and this is the compost recipe he uses:
Ian's compost for Calanthe:
Peat…………………... 6 buckets
Fine bark…………...... 6 buckets
Perlite………..……..... 1 bucket
Vitax Q4………..…..... 8cm pot full
Fish, Blood & Bone.... 7cm pot full
Dolomite Lime……..... 7 cm pot full
Hope this helps. :)
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I believe the feeding is the key. Ian B. grows magnificent calanthes and this is the compost recipe he uses:
Ian's compost for Calanthe:
Peat…………………... 6 buckets
Fine bark…………...... 6 buckets
Perlite………..……..... 1 bucket
Vitax Q4………..…..... 8cm pot full
Fish, Blood & Bone.... 7cm pot full
Dolomite Lime……..... 7 cm pot full
Hope this helps. :)
Do you think that would fill a 6" pot? :P
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Thanks Maren, they received some extra feeding last year so may have formed flower buds. They didn't however receive supersized portions as you described :o
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You'll just have to grow more calanthes. ;) ;) ;)
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Beat you to it Maren. I have the little plant and looking at the two photosand the plant it is named correctly. Nearly right Peter. I was commenting on how well some calanthe had grown which because of their position on a bench were receiving large amounts of water every day for three months. Phil, who was listening said he had seen them in areas just like the lake district. It is a pity the availablity is so limited in the UK. The majority come from one Japanese nursery. Try typing calanthe in on Youtube and cry.. The colour variations are fantastic but at a cost as in many areas there are now very few wild plants. Anything different has been dug up by enthusiasts for hybridizing.
The named hybrids (other than Takane) do not appear to be available now as they have been removed from the nursery wholesale lists.
Jeff
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Has anyone tried this angle?
http://taiwanorchidgrowers.com/about/ (http://taiwanorchidgrowers.com/about/)
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Well, Jeff, there is a silver lining, then. With your culture it should increase and be able to be split in a short while. :) Please put me on the waiting list. :) :) :)
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Two calanthes in flower today
The first is
Calanthe tricarinata
The second I received as C. arcata but it seems to me to be another C. tricarinata but a nice one
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Nice plant Tony.
I'm in the process of replacing the one I lost in the winter 2010/11
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Takane and tricarinata opened in march but the buds on several of my other calanthes have sat doing nothing for weeks. Now that it has actually stopped raining, (never thought I'd hear myself say that), they are opening. Firstly a first flowering for fargesii, then a nice yellow striata.
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|Nicely done Steve ;D
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happened to come across this thread, and as a Calanthe enthusiast, I couldn't help but put in my two-pence worth..
Steve, your C. fargesii is in fact Calanthe brevicornu, a species from china and the Himalayas; one of my favourites. I love it's delicious coconut scent. In my experience, it flowers and increases well in the garden, which cannot be said for all of the 'hardy' species.
It's frustrating how often Calanthes are mislabeled, especially plants originally imported from China. Some Chinese exporters seem strangely fond of labeling unidentified calanthes as C. fargesii, while in fact I have never even seen a single photo of that plant in culture.
The list of Calanthes that I've seen mislabeled as C. fargesii includes:
C. brevicornu, graciliflora, hancockii, henryi, mannii, and also Phaius delavayi (syn.: Calanthe delavayi).
As for C. aristilufera, I bought one last year at the spring fair of the Dutch rock garden society. They came from a German nursery that now offers them as C. arisanensis. However, they were labeled C. izu-insularis at the time.
Grown outside, the plant seemed confused by our capricious weather (cool summer, warm autumn); instead of producing fat winter buds, it started growing underdeveloped leaves in October. Ultimately, it died during the severe frost of Feb. this year.
Asking a Calanthe expert, it seems that Japanese species like C. discolor, sieboldii, and especially aristulifera need hot summers to do well (in addition to lots of water and fertilizer).
I guess that explains why some of the Calanthes I've seen grown outside in our maritime climate, appear to be be in a state of 'terminal sulking'; putting up a few leaves each year, but never flowering or increasing.
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Hello reifuan, welcome to you - Glad you found us!
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Hi Reifuan,
welcome on board. Great to have another calanthe enthusiast on this forum. Would you mind casting your eye on page one of this thread and give an opinion about what we purchased as Calanthe arisanensis? There seem to be quite a few in the trade but none in botanical science ??? ??? ???
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thanks for the welcome, Maggi , Maren..
Maren, you said your search for the name on the label had no results on IPNI.
looking more closely at the photo, I see the label actually says 'Calanthe arasiensis' instead of 'arisanensis'.. this horrible misspelling is probably the reason your IPNI search yielded no results.. you might want to try it again ;)
That aside, I believe the plant in question is in fact Calanthe aristulifera. The two species look similar (particularly in photos), but their differences are more apparent 'in the flesh', as arisanensis has clearly larger flowers.
In photos, the most obvious difference is probably the spur (keen eye there, Maggi ;))
arisanensis has a shorter spur, especially in proportion to the longer pedicel (ovary), in arisanensis the spur is shorter than the pedicel, usually half as long or even shorter. Aristulifera has a spur that is usually longer than the pedicel. (which is clearly the case with Maren's plant.... )
Furthermore; aristulifera flowers often don't open as widely, and only quite shortly, with older flowers half closed, giving it its lily-of-the-valley appearance