Xylobium squalens

Also known as: The Scaly Xylobium or Xylobium squalens var. stenopetala Xylobium squalens var. obscura Xylobium squalens f. major Xylobium squalens var. taffinii Xylobium scabrilingue Maxillaria scabrilinguis Dendrobium squalens var. houttei Cyrtopera scabrilinguis Maxillaria squalens var. taffinii Maxillaria squalens var. stenopetala Maxillaria squalens var. obscura in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Ayacucho - Peru Costa Rica Departamento del Huila - Colombia Loreto - Peru Mato Grosso do Sul - Brazil Provincia de Zamora-Chinchipe - Ecuador Sao Paulo - Brazil

General Information

The Scaly Xylobium is a cool to warm growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador.

Plant Description

Grows to 78cm. Each new growth has numerous leaves that grow to 10-69cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 9cm

Flowers

Numerous short lasting blossoms appear

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Bark
• Charcoal
• Spaghnum Moss
• Perlite

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 114mm to 632mm per day, heaviest in May and lightest in December. Humidity ranges from 76% to 81%, highest in July and lowest in February. Temperature ranges from 14C to 28C, highest in February (16C to 28C) and lowest in January (14C to 27C).

Watering

These orchids prefer a wet-dry cycle between waterings, they should be watered frequently but only when the moisture is approaching dryness, where the pot feels light and/or the media looks dry. Keep an eye on mounted orchids in warm weather as they may dehydrate quickly.

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

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