Pleione formosana

Also known as: The Formosa Pleione or Pleione formosana f. nivea Pleione hui Pleione formosanum Pleione formosana var. nivea Pleione pricei Pleione hookeriana f. nivea Pleione formosana f. alba Pleione bulbocodioides var. nivea in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: China

General Information

The Formosa Pleione is a cool to warm growing epiphytic free-flowering orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to China.

Plant Description

Grows to 15-30cm. Each new growth has numerous elliptic leaves that grow to 10-25cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 1-3cm

Flowers

Numerous fragrant blossoms appear readily during Spring

Fragrance

The orchid is fragrant.

Blooming Season

• Spring

Substrate(s)

• Coarse

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

The orchids are well adapted for hot weather, accompanied by sporadic, unpredictable rainfall and a generally dry climate. They can tolerate a lot of neglect as they are quite used to it, however they can be prone to underwatering and may collapse in cold, wet weather.

For this reason it's best to dedicate a sheltered, protected area for them where the watering can be controlled, such as a corner of a greenhouse or in a sheltered balcony. They can also do well hung near the roof of a shadehouse or sheltered greenhouse where they receive the extra heat but not as much water as other plants. 

Grows at high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 46mm to 912mm per day, heaviest in May and lightest in December. Humidity ranges from 78% to 92%, highest in August and lowest in January. Temperature ranges from 7C to 24C, highest in August (16C to 24C) and lowest in January (7C to 17C).

Fertiliser

Apply liquid based fertiliser per recommended directions. They can benefit from a high phosphate fertiliser leading up to flowering season, followed by a high nitrogen fertiliser when new growth appears, and a balanced fertiliser in other times. These orchids can also tolerate slow release fertiliser applied 1-2 pellets per cup (250ml) of media.

Be sure to flush out excess fertiliser by running water through the media regularly year round. Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. Use a low Nitrogen fertiliser year round.

Potting

These plants are quite forgiving and will do well repotted ever 2-3 years. The mix should be coarse, well draining, and allow space for air to move and for roots to grow. 

Alternatively, these plants will also do well mounted to tree fern or cork slabs, or mounted to trees.

Best time for repotting or mounting the orchids is the end of winter when new growths start to appear. Avoid repotting during hot weather,

Use water retentive media such as moss to prevent roots from drying out quickly