Two Goodyera from Japan - habitat video and photos

[KyushuCalanthe]

Hey folks, here's a vid on two Goodyera species in the local woods and my trip to find them last week. A typhoon had just passed and was still kicking up a lot of wind and clouds, so taking video was difficult. A couple surprise plants in there as well:

Orchid Hunt in Southern Japan II

And an article I wrote on these two species (video embedded within) if you like to read about them:

Two Jewel Orchids from Southern Japan

The plants are both truly miniature species found in from central Honshu and southward in Japan.

A really nice rosette on this G. schlechtendaliana (what a name):

Its flowers look like birds in flight:

G. velutina has velvety leaves as its name suggests:

Its surprisingly large flowers are a lovely soft pink:

Enjoy!

 

[W. Beetus]

Nice terrestrials! I like the leaf pattern on the first one.

 

[NYEric]

Thanks for sharing. The velvety one looks like a Zeuxine.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Wow.....would these guys be hardy in NYC? we're theoretically Z. 7.....but in my experience in this area summer heat is a much bigger problem than winter cold.

 

[abax]

Now that I'm reassured you're not going to fall and break
your neck, I really enjoy these video adventures. Without the excellent commentary, I might have thought the plants
were Ludisia. What do I know!

 

[Dido]

Nice plants

what about the growing condition

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Eric, I think that they both could be cold hardy to your area with adequate mulch in winter. I have grown both at my house which has a summer similar to Atlanta, Georgia, so heat shouldn't be a problem. The ridge they grow on is very exposed, often without significant snow to protect them from the incessant northern winds. Both species are found in central Honshu in areas that probably experience colder winters - so zone 7 is a safe bet.

Abax, well, I'll try to not break my neck!

Christoph, here is a description of their habitat:

The plants are growing on the top of a ridge line that rolls between 800~900 meters above sea level. The conditions are moist to wet all year round and fairly cool except in July and August when southern Japan is essentially subtropical. Winters at that altitude start in mid November and end in late March. Extreme lows are around -5 C or a bit lower with the average temperature sitting around freezing much of that time. The soil does not freeze much more than a few centimeters. Snow is common and can remain on the ground for a week. The forest is dominated by temperate broad leaf deciduous trees and the soil is acidic. Annual precipitation is around 2 meters, so this could be classified as a temperate rain forest.

 

[e-spice]

Great pictures. I enjoyed the video too! A sincere thank you.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Thanks for the info! G. schlechtendaliana is a pretty easily purchased plant here in the US...lots of them on Ebay and other sources, I actually had one once years ago. Does it matter as to the source, with regards to hardiness? Can I just get one from ebay and stick it in my yard? (I'd actually plant it in Cutchogue, where G. pubescens thrives in the sandy soil.)

 

[Paul Mc]

Wow!!!! This is fascinating!!!! Please keep sharing more!

 

[SlipperFan]

Do you have poison ivy in Japan, Tom? It looked like it might be a small plant of it in the clump of wasp flowers in the video.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Eric, I don't know about the plants being sold in the US market. They could be from Japan, more just as likely they came in from China. This species is found in mountainous areas throughout the warm temperate areas of east Asia, but not the subtropics. They should do OK in the same conditions as G. pubescens, but perhaps with a bit more even moisture and richer compost. They as a rule are smaller - half the size of G. pubescens.

Dot, yes we do have a poison ivy like plant, Rhus ambigua, though it doesn't grow as vigorously here in Kyushu as Toxicodendron radicans does in eastern North America. Perhaps it is more rampant further north in Japan. Not sure what you mean by "wasp flowers"...

 

[SlipperFan]

...

Dot, yes we do have a poison ivy like plant, Rhus ambigua, though it doesn't grow as vigorously here in Kyushu as Toxicodendron radicans does in eastern North America. Perhaps it is more rampant further north in Japan. Not sure what you mean by "wasp flowers"...

Did I get that wrong? I thought that's what you called the first clump of orchids in the video. I may have remembered incorrectly.

 

[JeanLux]

Fascinating sequence Tom!!!! You did a great job there !!!! :clap: Jean

 

[NYEric]

the schlectendaliana was available from Cal-Orchids. Asiatic Green has Zeuxines on their site (along with corybas and habenareas! ) but they never seem to be for sale. BTW, just watched the video. Great stuff. What was the temp like and how about mosquitoes?

 

[Clark]

Thanks for the education!
Pics are sweet.

Afraid to come back here. The site crashed while I was logged in, watching youtube vid.

 

[NYEric]

You did it!

 

[Dido]

Now it is all more clear.....

Oh well one day I will try one of them.

Do you know if they grow this kinds in kanuma too.

i had problems for years to establish them.

And I bought a few of pubescens this spring again, 3 I put in soil which I grow other kinds.
And 2 I putted in pure Kanuma and they started to grow like weet.

The same with Tpularia which like the same condition.

mine was not growing like I want them to grow, this is why I moved some of them into Kanuma and a few in Kanuma with my soil. The 2 in Kanuma with my soil are goen, the others just start growing with a ot of more shot then ecer before and looks great.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

I'm please you all enjoyed this vid. I plan to make many more about orchids in Japan - both in the wild and also cultivated plants. Unfortunately, the flowering season is over for most native orchids, but I'll be posting plenty of other stuff on my You Tube channel, so feel free to have a look.

Did I get that wrong? I thought that's what you called the first clump of orchids in the video. I may have remembered incorrectly.

Nope, you got it right Dot, I just didn't make the connection! Liparis krameri is indeed the "wasp orchid". I didn't see any Rhus like plants in the video, just some potato vine, Dioscoria japonica, wild vinca, Vinca major, and some other herb with compound leaves, but definitely not a poison ivy like plant.

BTW, just watched the video. Great stuff. What was the temp like and how about mosquitoes?

Hey Eric, in the lowlands (where I live) it was in the high 80s that day, but up on the mountain ridge it was just 73 degrees. It is amazing the effect elevation has on temperature and rainfall - not to mention the howling wind you hear in the background!

Afraid to come back here. The site crashed while I was logged in, watching youtube vid.

It wasn't me, I promise!

Christoph, many orchids like kanuma, so it isn't surprising to hear your Goodyera and Tipularia grow well in it. It is great for growing azaleas and rhododendrons too - the fibrous roots it induces plants to grow is amazing.

I've found Goodyera tough to keep going for more than a few years here - they tend to wax and wane. Perhaps it is just because individual plants are not long lived, much like their relatives in the genus Spiranthes. Such tiny plants also are easily hurt by bugs, fungi, too much water or too little, etc.

 

[biothanasis]

Great vid Tom!!! Nice pics too!

The flowers of the first one remind me the ones of Cephalanthera rubra we have here...!