Leochilus crocodiliceps

Also known as: The Crocodile Head Leochilus or Leochilus ampliflorus in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Colima - Mexico Jalisco - Mexico Michoacán - Mexico

General Information

The Crocodile Head Leochilus is a miniature cool to warm growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Mexico.

Plant Description

Grows to 12cm. Each new growth has numerous elliptic lance shaped, oblong shaped leaves that grow to 2-12cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 2.5-3.5cm

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 high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 3mm to 150mm per day, heaviest in July and lightest in February. Temperature ranges from 6C to 31C, highest in May (16C to 31C) and lowest in January (6C to 24C).

Fertiliser

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

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 well mounted to Cork slabs. Repotting is best done annually and in a pot the same size or only slightly larger than the previous one.