Ansellia africana

[TyroneGenade]

Hello,

My Ansellia is in flower:

Not the most amazing example of the species but the fragrance is very pleasant... and I thought I would also show you how I grow it:

So the plant is potted in Orchiata bark mix from Orchids.com inside a basket. A while back I decided to suspend the basket over a reservoir of water in a yoghurt tub (there is a large chunk of styrofoam in the reservoir that the basket rests on). Once the plant set a dew roots down into the water the plant took off.

At some point I will repot the plant into an inorganic substrate in the basket and see how that goes.

 

[GuRu]

Tyron, Ansellia africana -some call her leopard orchid - is a pretty orchid but nowadays rare in culture.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Cool. So another type of s/h culture? Where’d you get this?

 

[TyroneGenade]

Tyron, Ansellia africana -some call her leopard orchid - is a pretty orchid but nowadays rare in culture.

Wow. They were common, bred in the 1000s by Duckitt's Nursery in South Africa. That surprises me... but I can tell my plant is going to grow into a beast. Their large size might detract from them.

Cool. So another type of s/h culture? Where’d you get this?

A modification on Ray's S/H idea. I have for years observed plants send roots down, out of pots, into water. I figured orchids would be no different. The combination of basket and reservoir would, I hoped, mean the roots would stay aerated and hydrated. I am not sure this would work with a regular pot that isn't ventilated. I have moved several other plants to tubs like this: Phrags, Lycaste, Catts... So far so good. Some I have potted in sphagnum with perlite and others in bark-mix. I had good results growing Catts in S/H so the Catts I am currently trialing are simply in the basket without mix. Their roots like to wonder in any case.

Happy weekend

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Such a lovely "little" plant. This species reminds me so much of the American "bee swarm orchid", Cyrtopodium punctatum - another beast of a plant!

 

[Carmella.carey]

I bleach mine with sun but it never flowers so I will appreciate yours right now.
Patrick

 

[KeysGuy]

Congratulations.
I have one I bought at our society auction over a year ago and it has done nothing. And I mean nothing!
A friend had it previously and she had the same issue which is why she put it in the auction.
I recently repotted it just to get a look at the roots.
They are there but nothing new growing so I treated it with rooting hormone and re-potted it, this time in orchiata.
If it doesn't develop some new growth over the summer it's going in the trash can!

 

[ByeBye]

Not the most amazing example of the species but the fragrance is very pleasant... and I thought I would also show you how I grow it:
So the plant is potted in Orchiata bark mix from Orchids.com inside a basket. A while back I decided to suspend the basket over a reservoir of water in a yoghurt tub (there is a large chunk of styrofoam in the reservoir that the basket rests on). Once the plant set a dew roots down into the water the plant took off.

At some point I will repot the plant into an inorganic substrate in the basket and see how that goes.

Tyron, Ansellia africana -some call her leopard orchid - is a pretty orchid but nowadays rare in culture.

Mine is a compact grower. Have it for app. 2 years now. Canes under 35 cm, growing 10 cm under the grow lights and warm. It sends out new canes almost constantly but have to see any flowers yet!
It's a cross made of two high quality clones by Akerne orchids in Belgium.
Love and hate it at the same time.
Maybe a wetter environment around the roots might do the trick. Certainly will give it a try in the near future as it's bursting out of it's pot and desperately needs a repot.

Thanks fr sharing.

 

[Ozpaph]

nicely contrasting bold spots

 

[TyroneGenade]

Hi. I did nothing special to get mine to flower. It is grown under led grow light strip and shop light. I gets water ed once or twice a week. Daily listings with soft tap water sometimes with some klite in it in the growing season. A sprinkling of MgSO4 now and then. Temperature: 60 day/50 nights in winter, 80s/70s in winter. A temperature difference between seasons may be important.

I was worried I was not giving enough light.

 

[ByeBye]

Congratulations.
I have one I bought at our society auction over a year ago and it has done nothing. And I mean nothing!
A friend had it previously and she had the same issue which is why she put it in the auction.
I recently repotted it just to get a look at the roots.
They are there but nothing new growing so I treated it with rooting hormone and re-potted it, this time in orchiata.
If it doesn't develop some new growth over the summer it's going in the trash can!

Mine did nothing for over a year and a few months ago it stopped sulking and started producing new canes allover. Temp is around 25C.
These are known to be difficult sometimes. Be patient, the flowers are a real treat!

 

[KeysGuy]

Mine did nothing for over a year and a few months ago it stopped sulking and started producing new canes allover. Temp is around 25C.
These are known to be difficult sometimes. Be patient, the flowers are a real treat!

Well, thanks for the shot of optimism. I need it with this plant.
I had wanted one for some time so I jumped at the opportunity even though she warned me of her history with it.
I was taking it from dark, cold & dreary New Hampshire winters (although it was kept in her greenhouse) to my shade house in the Florida Keys.
I was hoping the change of scenery and growing conditions might be a shot in the arm.
Here's hoping you are right.

 

[ByeBye]

Well, thanks for the shot of optimism. I need it with this plant.
I had wanted one for some time so I jumped at the opportunity even though she warned me of her history with it.
I was taking it from dark, cold & dreary New Hampshire winters (although it was kept in her greenhouse) to my shade house in the Florida Keys.
I was hoping the change of scenery and growing conditions might be a shot in the arm.
Here's hoping you are right.

Keep in mind that in it's habitat in Central, all dawn to South Africa, it grows on gnarly, old trees in full heat and sun! So it can take a bit. It's often found on dead trees in scorching sun with a flare of flower spikes there. Specially the long caned ones seem to need these circumstances in the wild, the more compact growers seem to be more easy to bloom.

Good luck and don't give up !!!!

 

[Markhamite]

I babied mine too much and it died. Yours looks amazing!

 

[qcia13]

Where do the flower spikes grow from on these orchids, the bottom of the pseudobulbs?