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Flora with Justin

Locality: Sydney, Australia

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25.01.2022 Sarcochilus dilatatus Now we all know I love, love, love Sarcochilus orchids. Well this species is no exception! One of the many orchids we call twig epiphytes. Commonly known as the brown butterfly orchid, this species is endemic to eastern Australia. Hoop pines in drier rainforests are its host of choice and it can be found from Carnarvon Gorge and Gladstone in Queensland down to the Richmond River in New South Wales. ... A small cool growing orchid thats has between 4 and 12 dark green leaves, that are thin and leathery. Flowering typically occurs from September to October but depending on where you are located can go on longer into December. This species can be quite prolific bloomer, often putting out multiple flowering stems that can have up to12 flowers each. The flowers are often a red/ brown and the ends of the sepals and petals are often dilated (hence its name dilatatus). Once you get the hang of it this species is quite easy but be warned it is prone to SSDS (Sudden Sarc Death Syndrome) and can die any minute for no reason. To be fair alot of the twig epiphyte Sarc species are prone to SSDS so if you do get one and it dies dont feel bad. They are usually pretty cheap here in Australia ($20 - $30). You can find them a few nurseries like Orchids on Newbold and and flask are usually readily available from Western Orchids. This species has to grow mounted. It will not tolerate a pot. If you have good humidity you probably won't need moss but for me I usually put some moss on the mount to keep the mositure abit longer. They like to get wet daily but they also like to dry out quickly. Feeding every couple of weeks with a weak fertiliser will keep them happy. They need filtered shade and while they can tolerate warm tempreture they offer to be kept cool like most Sarcochilus. If you have the time I recommend giving them a try!

20.01.2022 Bulbophyllum lewisense Photos provided to me by my friend Erik Lielkajis This beautiful species is pretty much absent in collections. It's not really something that is sort after or bred by growers, so gets left behind with only the most die hard Australian native enthusiasts or Bulbophyllum enthusiasts seeking it out. It is part of the Oxysepala section of Bulbophyllums alongside other Australian native species such as Bulbophyllum shepherdii, Bulbophyllum wadsworthii and B...ulbophyllum schillerianum. This species commonly known as the Mt Lewis rope orchid is endemic to Queensland Australia. It grows on the upper branches of rainforest trees where there is good air movement, it can be found on the Mount Lewis, Mount Carbine and Mount Windsor Tablelands. The plant itself is made up of stems with brown bracts. The pseudobulbs are light green and pressed against the stem, with each pseudobulb having an elliptic to oblong shaped leaf with a grooved channel that runs down the middle. Flowering occurs from August to October in the wild. Single, white, small and resupinate flowers are borne on small flowering stems. The flowers can almost appear translucent to the eye. I love this species and it is one of my favorite of the Australian native Bulbophyllums! Big plants can out on quite a show! If you are lucky enough to obtain a peice of this orchid, best to mount it and provide it with cool to warm conditions, good airflow, decent humidity and moisture and adequate fertiliser (every two weeks). It will require mounting and I recommend a good peice of cork or some black tree fern (cyathea) for this. It will most likely require daily watering so keep that in mind!

16.01.2022 Dendrobium Mousmee So this is probably one of the most famous Dendrobium hybrids the world has ever seen. Definitely one of the most desired and sought after hybrids and a great example of how beautiful the Dendrobium Densiflora section can be. A cross between Dendrobium amabile and Dendrobium thrysiflorum, this hybrid was registered in 1941 by Vacherot and Lecoulfe and Orchid Nursery in France. It is a primary hybrid because it is a hybrid between two species. ... Like its parent Den amabile it gets long slender pseudobulbs (canes) that make it a rather tall plant. The plant over time will become quite large as it is quite a vigorous grower. Each cane can carry two to six green leaves, which it may drop over time. Flowering occurs in spring with long pendulous Inflorescences that have many, evenly spaced flowers that are a pastel pink/purple with a beautiful golden lip. We grow this Dendrobium under 70% shadecloth year round with ample water in the warmer growing period and less in the winter when it is preparing to flower. When new canes emerge it will benefit from a regular fertiliser regime until the growths mature and harden off. We use a mix of Kiwi pine bark and large course perlite. This hybrid is ridiculously expensive and as such I would only buy one when in flower to make sure you are getting the right plant. How much its worth depends upon who you ask as its one of those plants thats worth as much as you are willing to spend on it. Supply can not meet demand with the Densiflora section it appears and as such prices for mature flowering size plants are high. Be careful when purchasing!

16.01.2022 Dendrobium moniliforme This amazing small to large growing species of orchid belongs to the section Dendrobium (the soft canes) of the genus Dendrobium. It is the type species of this genus aswell. It is native to Japan, China, Korea, the Himalayas and Northern Indochina. It can be found as a cold to warm growing epiphyte in forests or as an occasional lithophyte growing on stones and rock faces. It has erect or pendulous slightly purplish stems/ pseudobulbs that yellow wit...h age, with each of them carrying a number of green, obtuse deciduous leaves. Leaves drop in autumn through winter. Blooming happens in late winter through spring and can happen again in late summer. Blooms appear on the nodes of the older leafless canes, with each Inflorescense carrying 2-3 flowers. Flowers are predominantly white, however through selective breeding in Korea and Japan pink and yellow forms have been created. These are relatively hard to find here in Australia however as much as I like the typical white flowers a pink flowered ppant would be lovely to add to my collection and breed with. The flowers are fragrant with a pleasant scent. Flowers last a few days if the plant is kept cool. This species like many other Dendrobiums will need a drier period in the cooler months with a reduction or even complete elimination of fertiliser. Growing Dendrobium moniliforme is rather easy. I grow mine in a well draining medium of pine bark and large course perlite. In Summer I water every day or atleast every second day, as the weather cools and we head into winter, I will reduce watering to twice a week and eventually just once a week. Fertiliser is fortnightly in spring and summer and typically begins with onset of new growth. I eliminate fertilising in autumn. If you over water or fertilise at the wrong time you risk turning the developing blooms into growths and the plant will produce keikis. These plants during the growing period are quite susceptible to caterpillars and the root tips are loved by slugs, snails and cockroaches. So be on the look out for pests and treat accordingly.

14.01.2022 Dendrobium Red Center This Dendrobium is an Australasian primary hybrid. Its made by crossing the PNG species Dendrobium convolutum with the Australian species Dendrobium bigibbum var compactum syn Dendrobium lithicola (technically any Dendrobium bigibbum can be used). It is also an intersectional hybrid as each parent comes from a different section within the genus. Dendrobium convolutum is from section Latouria where as Dendrobium bigibbum is from section Phalaenanthe. Orig...inally bred by the PNG Dendrobium master Phil Spence, he registered the hybrid in 2009 as Red Center. It's an Easy tolerating the cool to Warm temperatures like it's parents. I have two plants. The first (Plant #1) which takes after the convolutum parent has given me a nice display of flowers. The labellum is very clearly of Latouria origin. The second (Plant #2) only gave me a single Inflorescense of four flowers, but it did give me two keikis, I'm ok with this! You can see in the second plant that it is taking after the bigibbum parent with its labellum. Growth of the two plants so far is similar, though the growth habit of the second plant also takes more from the bigibbum parent being a little smaller and more compact. These plants have proven to be quite rewarding with many whom have seen plant #1 have given it praise, I think thisnwill be a winner. I'm still happy with plant #2 but want to see it perform a better flowering before I make any real judgement. I have them both growing in pots bark and perlite and have them placed in an unheated glasshouse where they get regular water and fertiliser. I don't have to do much to keep them happy, which is nice because so far like Latouria section Dendrobiums I think they are going to have long lasting flowers! That's one hell of a reward for little to no work!

10.01.2022 Dracuvallia Fleur Yes it's been a long time between posts, unfortunately I just dont feel inspired at the moment and a general lack of flowering orchids has me a little bit down. I could go out and search the neighbourhood and nearby botanical gardens for interesting plants but with depression comes a lack of motivation. Anyway here's something to enjoy! This is an intergeneric hybrid between two species both of which are part of the subtribe Pleurothallidinae. This hybrid is... a cross between Masdevallia veitchiana and Dracula gigas. Both parents come from South America. Like most orchids in this subtribe its a cool grower, preferring temps under 30C. Most like it even cooler then that. It will tolerate hot temperatures for a short time. They like it humid aswell with alot of the Pleurothallidinae being found growing in cool cloud forests where humidity is high because of the mists, airflow is good and temperatures are cool. Because we get temps up to 40C here in Sydney in Summer I have to bring it and the others like it inside when temperatures are going to be hot. We had a 5 day heat wave of consistent days above 35C and I accidentally left it outside for two days. It responded a week later by dropping some leaves. Silly me! In the end it still gave me a spike and even with a single flower I think this is just absolutely gorgeous! Like my other Masdevallias and Draculas im growing this in a mix of bark, perlite and chopped spagnum. It gets daily watering in summer and I give it a light spray when i foliar feeding my mounted orchids. Because these orchids lack pseudobulbs and dont store water anywhere they really do need the moisture and humidity but be careful because if you over water or the mix stays too wet you will rot them! Familiar shape from the dracula with colour from the Masdevallia. Ill definitely be getting mkre Dracuvallias! Im in love!

08.01.2022 Bulbophyllum patens It's been awhile since I've posted as I've been feeling somewhat uninspired of late and have been in a bit of a slump. Plants have continued to grow and flower which is a positive, I just haven't been out exploring so there has been a distinct lack of non orchids on this blog and probably will for awhile longer. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and have had a good start to the New Year! Today we are looking at a species of Bulbophyllum that inh...abits lowland swamps in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. It can be found growing epiphytically on tree trunks away from the ground. It doesn't appreciate deitrius that accumulates it seems. Like other species in the Bulbophyllum Sestochilus such as Bulbophyllum macranthum and Bulbophyllum baileyi, Bulbophyllum patesn has a creeping rhizome (it can be hairy) along which pseudobulbs are present, with each one giving rise to a rather thick and fleshy, oblong leaf. Flowering occurs in summer for me but in the wild typically late winter and early spring are its bloom times. Each flower is solitary with the inflorescence rising from the base of the pseudobulbs. The flowers are non-resupinate, fleshy/yellow coloured with Red clothing and a red a labellum. The flowers on my plant are quite strongly scented and sweet but other people I know with species says their plants are only lightly scented and sweet. Eitherway its a nice smelling Bulbophyllum species, a rarity perhaps? I grow this plant in a saucer with pine bark and perlite and make sure it is moist year round! It gets temps dowm to 0C and up to 45C. Aslong as its protected from the frost and direct sun, it's super hardy! It would grow very well mounted on a tree fern slab in my opinion and I am tempted to give it ago. The Sestochilus section of Bulbophyllums tend to take to mounting better then some others as it accommodates their rambling habit. I have recieved some divisions of plants from this section from other growers and had to mount them as there was no way for me to pot them do for he way they had grown. If you do pot them be aware that they have shallow roots and will escape the pot quickly! Fertilise often in summer and less so in winter. This species is quite pest resistant and frankly I don't think you could go wrong! I'd highly recommend giving it a go if you can find a peice. I've started to use this as a parent for breeding purposes to see if I can get the red colours into other plants! Thanks for reading!

08.01.2022 Masdevallia stenorhynchos It's been awhile I know but hey here's a post to keep things going. This is the Masdevallia stenorhynchos which is commonly known as the thin braked Masdevallia. It is endemic to Antioquia Columbia, where it grows up in the cloud forests as an epiphyte. It's is cold growing like most Masdevallias but can tolerate warmer temps then some. ... It has erect, stout ramicauls that are enveloped by 2 to 3 tubular, loose sheaths that carry rounded, oblong shaped leaves that gradually narrow as they approach the base. Flowering occurs in spring/ summer on stout, somewhat congested, erect' successively, few flowered, racemose, triquetrous inflorescence that arises from the base of the ramicaul. The flowers are held at leaf hight. Masdevallias belong to the subtribe Pleurothallidinae and as such are related to other genera such as Dracula, Dryadella and Restrepia. These orchids do not have pseudobulbs to store food and energy as such they rely on a moist and humid environment with cool temperatures. Because of this I like to grow my Masdevallia and Dracula in a mix comprising of orchiata bark, chopped sphagnum moss and large course perlite. Some people like to grow their plants in straight sphagnum moss and I have tried this but found that it stayed to wet and I had no root growth. Maybe I packed it too tight? I'm not sure this mix however seems to work for me. It stay wet on hot days, cools the roots and helps humidity around the plant. In summer I do tend to water daily. Fertilising I tend to only spray them with a light foliar feed every couppe of weeks. They don't seem to be hungry plants. Pest wise I have observed caterpillars going to town on new growths but I just pick them off and squish them. Fungal problems are always a possibility so make sure to have good airflow and a spray of Mancozeb once a month always helps. I hope you enjoy this post!

05.01.2022 Sedirea japonica Sometimes found in collections as Phalaenopsis japonica, this species was at one point the only member of the genus Sedirea, however since the genus was erected in 1974 another species was added in 1985, Sedirea subparishii (very rare in collections). Sedirea japonica is found in Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, Korea and western Yunnan and Zhejiang provinces of China. It grows on trees as an epiphyte in open subtropical forests or cliffs along valleys. ... This species is a small sized, cool to cold grower. A monopodial species with a very short stem that carries between 2 and 8 thick, obtuse and somewhat strappy leaves. Flowering occurs in the spring and summer with a long (up to 18cm long) Inflorescense with 8-10 very fragrant and colourful flowers. The flowers open successively but on a warm day you will probably find them all opening at once. The flowers themselves have a pleasant lemon like smell, it's refreshing. They also last quite a while, so that's pretty rewarding if you ask me! As you can see I grow mine in a pot in a mix of pine bark and perlite but I do know people who grow it very well mounted on a hard wood/ cork peice. It appreciates good airflow and regular water. Bright light is essential for it to bloom. Mine gets a little bit of morning sun but otherwise is protected under a Phoenix palm where it hangs year round. Fertilise regularly when the weather warms up. I also want to say that yes its a cold grower but that doesn't mean it wants to freeze. Avoid frosts! It will also grow quite warm in cultivation so it's quite hardy and really very easy. Highly recommended for any orchid enthusiast!

03.01.2022 Zephyranthes candida Not an orchid this time! I haven't really got anything I've felt like doing a post on and to be honest these photos are a month and half old but hey they are technically still in flower in my garden so it's ok! They last a long time so that's a win! Today we are taking a look at one of the many species of rain lily as they are commonly known. Also called the Peruvian swamp Lily this species of Zephyranthes is native to South America. They are evergreen bu...lbs that can handle a wide range of temperatures and climatic conditions. I have them growing in full sun in south west Sydney Australia and they can get temps down to 0C and all the way up to 45C. It's this hardiness that has probably allowed them to become naturalized in so many parts of the world! They can be planted in a wide range of soils and really aren't fussy. Aslong as water is kept up through the year they seem to be happy. They begin to flower in late summer here in the Southern Hemisphere usually after an onset of heavy rain (hence the name rain lily). They will continue to flower with these brilliant white flowers for 2-3 months atleast! It's not unusual for them to spot flower through out the year aswell. They like sun but can handle periods of shade too. Pests are really only snails, slugs and roaches and thats tends to only be when they are In flower. Pretty much pest free in my opinion, these plants can make excellent additions to your garden but be warned once in there they won't be coming out! The bulbs multiply fast and can squeeze into tight spaces, not to mention they seem to be somewhat resistant to herbicides, often browning off and then reshooting a couple of days later. Essentially this species will look after itself! Most garden centers will stock these so you shouldn't have too hard a time finding them!