KyushuCalanthe
Just call me Tom
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
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Here is a species that remains rare in cultivation, particularly as a seed grown plant. This specimen is being grown by a friend in Holland, and the photos are his. I was very impressed to see he was growing it so well since species in the section Trigonopedia (AKA the spotted leaf Cyps) are notoriously difficult to keep alive. The plant is a small thing, standing just a few inches tall. The spotting of the leaves is normal for the species, not a disease condition.
It is a seedling that he bought from a Belgian nursery specializing in Cyps. He is growing it in mixture of peat based potting soil, perlite, and sand. He grows it on a terrace such that it is mostly out of the rain. When watering he is sure not to wet the leaves since this can initiate rots easily. In winter it is put in a shed and kept just moist.
Given the difficultly of growing these spotted leaf species, they probably will remain uncommon in cultivation. Their seedlings have much higher mortality rates than other Cyps such as C. kentuckiense and C. reginae, but once they get older I'm told that seed grown plants are much easier to maintain that wild collected material. If this process keeps up one can imagine (and hope!) that stronger lines of plants will be developed and these will become more common in cultivation.
It is a seedling that he bought from a Belgian nursery specializing in Cyps. He is growing it in mixture of peat based potting soil, perlite, and sand. He grows it on a terrace such that it is mostly out of the rain. When watering he is sure not to wet the leaves since this can initiate rots easily. In winter it is put in a shed and kept just moist.
Given the difficultly of growing these spotted leaf species, they probably will remain uncommon in cultivation. Their seedlings have much higher mortality rates than other Cyps such as C. kentuckiense and C. reginae, but once they get older I'm told that seed grown plants are much easier to maintain that wild collected material. If this process keeps up one can imagine (and hope!) that stronger lines of plants will be developed and these will become more common in cultivation.
