Cymbidium atropurpureum

Also known as: The Black Purple Cymbidium or Cymbidium atropurpureum h.f. rubrum Cymbidium pendulum var. atropurpureum Cymbidium atropurpureum var. olivaceum Cymbidium finlaysonianum var. atropurpureum in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Philippines Thailand

General Information

The Black Purple Cymbidium is a sympodial warm to hot growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Philippines and Thailand.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 60-100cm. Each new growth has numerous leathery arching, rigid leaves that grow to 1.5-90cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 10cm

Flowers

Numerous fragrant blossoms appear during Spring

Fragrance

The orchid is fragrant. The fragrance can be described as coconut like and strong

Blooming Season

• Spring

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Medium
• Small
• Fine
• Bark
• Charcoal
• Treefern
• Spaghnum Moss
• Perlite
• Sand

Care Notes

These orchids like to be kept on the dry side, but may need to be watered daily during warm weather, and prefer a well draining mix or also do well mounted, provided they can be watered regularly.

These are quite a forgiving orchid, there are no special requirements to get this orchid to flower, just good care and consistent conditions. Larger plants may be more fussy and can react poorly to change; a poorly timed repotting, a pest infection or an unusually hot day can set them back for a couple of years. However, even plants that have been treated poorly can thrive, and if they are set back they often recover much stronger then they would otherwise be.

Fragrant:

• IsFragrant

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 86mm to 257mm per day, heaviest in December and lightest in July. Humidity ranges from 83% to 89%, highest in November and lowest in February. Temperature ranges from 18C to 29C, highest in April (19C to 29C) and lowest in January (18C to 26C).

Fertiliser

These plants thrive on fertiliser, especially during periods of growth. Liquid fertiliser can be applied year round at the recommended strength, augmented with manure pellets or other quickly degradable fertiliser, applied away from the base of the plant, during periods of strong growth. Slow release pellets can also be applied year round at the rate of 2-3 pellets per cup (250ml) of media.

They can benefit from a high phosphate fertiliser leading up to flowering season, and by a high nitrogen fertiliser when new growth appears. 

Use balanced fertiliser during Spring. Be sure to flush out excess fertiliser by running water through the media regularly year round. Fertiliser can be applied heavily year round. Use a high Nitrogen fertiliser during Summer. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer.

Potting

It's best to observe the root system when repotting and use that as a guide:

A plant with a short root system will do better in a shallower pot with a fine mix, or mounted on fern or cork supplanted with a good amount of moss or similar material.

A plant with a long root system often does well in a pot filled with moss or fine media, mixing in perlite and charcoal is always beneficial to reduce the likelihood of the mix becoming soggy and keeps it fresh.

A plant with a coarser long root system can be potted in a deeper pot, but with 2/3 coarse material such as bark, expanded clay, or coco chips and topped with moss or similar material. This will allow the moisture to remain inside the pot but give the roots air as well.

This plant does well mounted. Repotting is best done annually.