Barkeria lindleyana

Also known as: Lindley's Barkeria or Barkeria lindleyana h.f. alba Barkeria lindleyana h.f. coerulescens Barkeria lindleyana ssp. lindleyana h.f. rosea Barkeria lindleyana ssp. lindleyana h.f. alba Barkeria lindleyana var. centerae Epidendrum vannerianum Barkeria vanneriana Barkeria lindleyana ssp. lindleyana Epidendrum lindleyanum var. centerae Epidendrum lindleyanum Barkeria lindleyana ssp. vanneriana in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Guerrero - Mexico

General Information

Lindley's Barkeria is a medium sized cool to hot growing epiphytic or lithophytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Mexico. It is named after the English Botanist in the 19th century.

Plant Description

Grows to 90cm. Each new growth has numerous thick leaves that grow to 15cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 0.6-15cm

Flowers

Numerous blossoms appear during Summer and Autumn

Blooming Season

• Autumn
• Summer

Substrate(s)

• Coarse

Care Notes

This orchid goes into a dormancy phase during winter, during this phase it is best not to provide water unless the plant is starting to look thirsty. The lack of water increases the chance of flowering in spring, and also reduces the likelihood of any rot forming. Do not resume watering until new growth has appeared and is growing strongly.

Often a period of intense growth occurs after dormancy. During this time the amount of light, water and fertiliser the plant receives will directly impact the amount of growth that occurs during this time, and in the case of seedlings, will reduce the time required to reach maturity.

It's recommended to heavily reduce the water amount at the middle to end of autumn to trigger dormancy. Leaves on older bulbs will begin to drop during this time while the newer bulbs continue to mature until terminal leaves appear at the tip of the pseudobulbs.

Repotting can be done any time of the year though it's best to do it in early spring when new growth is appearing as this also means new roots will appear to help the plant anchor into the new media and offset any damage to established roots during the repotting process.

 

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 5mm to 305mm per day, heaviest in September and lightest in February. Humidity ranges from 68% to 85%, highest in October and lowest in March. Temperature ranges from 14C to 27C, highest in May (17C to 27C) and lowest in January (14C to 24C).

Watering

Keep moisture levels up during hot weather as the plant is prone to dehydration

Fertiliser

dormant-medium-demand-orchid Use balanced fertiliser year round. Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. Use a low Nitrogen fertiliser during Summer and Winter. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer and Winter. Reduce fertiliser when plant is dormant during Spring.

Potting

Due to the growth nature of these plants they are best mounted onto cork, tree fern slabs, or even trees if the climate suits. Water regularly especially in hot weather.

This plant does very well in baskets or suspended pots