Macodes Jewel orchids and Phaius by Carlise and Eike Jauch

Both Gastrorchis  humblotii var humblotii and Gastrorchis homblotii var schlechteri are very decorative representative of the genus Gastrorchis. As they are varieties of the same species I would not have expected that the hybridization of the two might result in something special.

But just look at the result:

The colouration of the sepals an petals is just in between the two varieties. Again, the colouration of the lip is just a mixture of the two varieties. It is defenitely worth it  breeding this hybrid!

Read more about Gasrorchis on my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/orchideenzauber-an-article-about-gastrochis/

Calanthe ceciliae is one of the most beautyful Calanthe due to its pink colouration. The inflorescence shown above has a lenght of 65 cm and shows more than 12 flowers. I grow this Calanthe with intermediate temperatures and water regularyly. It is like most other Calanthe a terrestrial orchid that does not like full sun shine.

Read more about Calanthe cecileae on my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/phaiocalanthe-marceli-henkel/

Today it was time to take care of my Phaius tonkinensis seedlings. I have send the seeds to my lab in december 2017 and received the seedlings back on agar medium in september 2018. They grew well on sphagnum moss and started to form new sprouts just one to two centimeters above the substrate. As I want to promote root formation on the new sprouts I repotted them in sphagnum, but placed them deeper in the substrate than before.

The way the new sprouts form shows that Phaius tonkinensis belongs to the section Limatodes.

Read about Phaius tonkinensis hybrids on my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/07/phaius-suzy-taylor/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/phaius-federsee-a-new-phaius-hybrid/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/11/12/phaius-memoria-pater-agnellus-schneider-is-flowering/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/08/06/seedpod-maturation-time-of-phaius-tonkinensis/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/phaius-tonkinensis-larger-than-previously-reported/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/05/16/a-new-phaius-tonkinensis-hybrid/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/03/26/two-new-hybrids-registered/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/09/24/phaius-tonkinensis-blueht/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/10/feierte-letztes-jahr-ihr-zwanzigjaehriges-jubilaeum-phaius-tonkinensis/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2020/03/15/phaius-tonkinensis-with-two-inflorescences/

In 1872 Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach, the foremost german orchidologist of the 19th century, described Thunia pulchra in Flora 55: 276. It is a hot to warm growing epiphyte that naturally occurs in Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. As with all Thunia the flowers hang downwards and therefore are best looked at by looking from below.

During winter time Thunia pulchra looses all its leaves and is best kept dry and cold. In spring, the new growth will show up. From now on, the plant is kept warm, watered regularyly and fes with fertilizer to support growth.

In large plants, the span of the flower can be up to 8 cm. The middle sepale approaches 5 cm in lenght, the lip 3 cm with a widht of about 1,5 cm. The spur is approximately 1 cm in lenght.

Check for spider mites!

Note added 26.11.2020: In the meantime I am pretty sure that the plant shown in the picture is not Thunia pulchra, although it was sold to me as such (compare the lip of the drawing with the lip of the shown plant: In Thunia pulchra there are no hairs found on the lip!). The Thunia shown above best fits to Thunia alba var. bracteata.

For the first time my Gastrorchis humblotii var. schlechteri is flowering. Just compare it to Phaius humblotiii var. humblotii:

The sepals and tepals of Gastrorchis humblotii var. schlechteri have lost nearly all red pigment. The flower buds of Gastrorchis humblotii var. schlechteri are nearly white at an early stage of development and take a light whiff of pink just before opening. The callus on the lip has the same bright yellow colouration in both varieties. The rest of the lip is more intense in colouration in Gastrorchis humblotii var. schechteri and nearly lacks the yellow colouration found in Gastrorchis humblotii var. humblotii.

Read more about Gasrorchis on my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/orchideenzauber-an-article-about-gastrochis/

Judi Stone and Phillip Cribb describe Phaius philippinensis in Lady Tankerville’s Legacy as a rather small growing Phaius species. To my experience this small growing form exists, but there are Phaius philippinensis that grow much larger. James Veitch & Sons give a description of Phaius philippinensis in “A manual of orchidaceous plants cultivated under glass in Great Britain, 1887, part VI, p.13″: Detected by our collector, David Burke, on the slopes of the hills, at 3,000 to 4,000 feet elevation, in the Island of Mindanao, and thence interesting as being the first species of Phaius found in the Philippine Islands. It flowered for the first time in our Chelsea nursery in August, 1889. As a species it is remarkably interesting, especially in the structure of the labellum, which is neither three-lobed nor spurred, but “has a nearly truncate mouth with a slightly frilled, recurved margin, the emarginate apex is not in the least produced.” The lenght of the leaves is given with 9 to 15 inches (23 – 38 centimeters), the leaves are narrowed below into a channeled petiole half as long as the blade.

The plant shown in above picture has leaves with a lenght of up to 90 cm, that is more than twice the size reported previously. The inflorescence of the shown plant has a lenght of 50 cm and bears 12 flowers. I discussed this observation with an orchid breeder from the Netherlands. His guess is that obeserved size differences are that big that it is reasonable to talk about the existence of two variants of Phaius philippinensis. As the nominate form is the small growing variant I suggest that the plant shown above should be called Phaius philippinensis var. giganteae.

Note added 18.04.2020:

It well might be that the above shown plant is not a Phaius philippinensis, but the philippine form of Phaius callosus. Pictures published in Lady Tankerville’s Legacy make this likely.

Phaius flavus var. maculatus is a special Phaius with regard to the white leave spots that make the plant very attractive even in the non-flowering state. The degree of spotting varies from plant to plant. The white spots are not a result of virus, bacterial or fungal infection, but are a genetically fixed trait (see above picture showing Phaius flavus forma album seedlings).

I take care of two hybrids of Phaius flavus var. maculatus:

Phaius Joan Hart G.Coram 1986 is a synonym of Phaius Maculato-Grandifolius Veitch 1891, a hybrid generated by crossing Phaius tankervilleae with Phaius flavus. If  Phaius flavus var. maculatus is used, some of the offspring plants will show white spots on the leaves, but in comparison to the mother plant in a reduced amount.

The same is true for a cross between Phaius mishmensis and Phaius flavus var. maculatus. As number of hybrids using Phaius flavus var. maculatus as a mother plant will increase, we will learn more about the mode of inheritance.

Interestingly, there is a Calanthe that also shows white leave spots as an ornament: Calanthe maxii O’Byrne, which is found in Sulawesi. Would it not be most interesting to cross this Calanthe with Phaius flavus var. maculatus to look at the spot pattern of this hybrid?

Read more about Phaius flavus on my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/phaius-federsee-a-new-phaius-hybrid/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/08/07/phaius-flavus-is-an-orchid-host-of-sclerotium-rolfsii/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/08/05/hybridization-programme-using-phaius-tankervilleae-and-phaius-flavus/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/08/03/phaius-of-bhutan/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/08/01/phaius-of-java/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/01/23/medicinal-phaius-of-asia/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/12/16/phaius-somai-wie-pflegen/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/04/30/bluehendes-gold-aus-indien-phaius-flavus/

 

A nice description of Phaius tonkinensis (Aver.) Aver. can be found in “Lady Tankerville’s Legacy”, written by Judis Stone and Phillip Cribb. By chance I could aquire a Phaius tonkinensis some two years ago. It is an uncomplicated Phaius of the Section Limatodes that can easily be cultivated at home. Since I took the plant in cultivation in July 2017 it already flowered three times.

With this report I want to give some additional information about Phaius tonkinensis with regard to stem lenght and leave  number. Numbers in brackets are the according data reported by Judi Stone and Phillip Cribb.

The plant shown in the picture above has a stem lenght that exceeds 90 cm [50 cm]. Together with the leaves it reaches a height of 110 cm. At the base the stem has a diameter of 1,5 cm, at the height of the first leave 1,2 cm [0,8 cm]. The inflorescence showed this time 6 flowers. The flowers are up to 7,2 cm [6 cm] across. I observe up to eight leaves per stem.

Read more about Phaius tonkinensis in my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/05/16/a-new-phaius-tonkinensis-hybrid/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/09/24/phaius-tonkinensis-blueht/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/10/feierte-letztes-jahr-ihr-zwanzigjaehriges-jubilaeum-phaius-tonkinensis/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/03/26/two-new-hybrids-registered/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/07/phaius-suzy-taylor/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/phaius-federsee-a-new-phaius-hybrid/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/11/12/phaius-memoria-pater-agnellus-schneider-is-flowering/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/08/06/seedpod-maturation-time-of-phaius-tonkinensis/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/07/14/taking-care-of-phaius-tonkinensis-seedlings/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2020/03/15/phaius-tonkinensis-with-two-inflorescences/

and

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/drachenkinder-jede-vierte-phaius-kommt-im-reich-der-mitte-vor/

 

Let’s first have a look at the pedigree of Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite (E.F.G.Orchids 2000): A cross between Calanthe Rozel an Phaius tankervilleae led to the well known hybrid Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite.

 

Calanthe Rozel ( E.Young O.F. 1993) was generated by crossing Calanthe Grouville (E.Young O.F. 1988) with Calanthe Saint Aubin ( E.Young O.F. 1989) and therefore is already a quite complex hybrid. No wonder there are so many different varieties of Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite!

Calanthe Grouville is the result of crossing Calanthe Diana Broughton (Broughton 1941) with Calanthe Barberiana (Barber 1881); Calanthe Saint Aubin was obtained by crossing Calanthe Diana Broughton (Broughton 1941) with Calanthe Baron Schröder ( Veitch 1894).

In the United States Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite was backcrossed some years ago against Calanthe Grouville. A picture of this hybrid can be seen on the homepage of Marble Branch Farms.

According to their information the seedlings were good growers. They cultivate this new hybrid in a richer mix with compost added. Interesting are the cultivation hints they give for both hybrids:

Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite is sitting in a shallow amount of water all the time, and they claim to have impressive results with this cutlivation method. On the other hand, the new hybrid Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite x Calanthe Grouville is expected to prefer a drier rest in the winter.

As with Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite, the new hybrid most likely will flower in many different colours. They might show red, pink or white flowers or bicolor combinations. What a pitty that these new Phaiocalanthe are not available in Europe! I would love to see them flower on my window sill.

Read more about Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite in my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/die-registrierten-hybriden-der-phaius-tankervilleae/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/01/12/new-horizon-hybrid-registration/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/vielfaeltig-phaiocalanthe-kryptonite/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/03/24/pflege-tipp-phaiocalanthe-kryptonite-erwacht/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/12/08/sonnt-sich-in-ihrer-farbenpracht-phaiocalanthe-kryptonite/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/01/19/phaiocalanthe-kryptonite-berry-banana-sorbet/

Nyan Tun is a Myanmar Floriculturists’ Association research committee member and found a new orchid species in Myanmar in 2008. As he was not sure wether he dicovered a new species or not, he sent the dicovered Phaius to Dr. Saw Lwin, the association’s resident orchid expert. It took some time until the Phaius, which was located in Taunggyi, Shan State, flowered. The Myanmar Forest Department issued a CITES, so the  plant could be sent to Singapore Botanical Gardens. Experts there classified the orchid as Phaius takeoi, which is a new species to Myanmar. In Myanmar, this Phaius is locally called the seti orchid.

In 2010, H.Kurzweil, S.Watthana and S. Lwin published a paper in Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 62(1): 105-109: Phaius takeoi (Orchidaceae) newly recoded from Thailand and Myanmar. Phaius takeoi grows in moist, broad-leaved forest. The plants collected in Thailand grew in a marshy spot in evergreen forest. In Myanmar, Phaius takeoi was found in moist soil near streams.

Phaius takeoi may grow up to 1 meter tall. Inflorescences arise from the lower nodes of the pseudobulbs and may grow up to 60 centimeter tall. Once it was observed that a sidebrach formed on the inflorescence.

In Phillip Cribb and Judi Stones ‘Lady Tankerville’s Legacy’ the distribution aerea from Phaius takeoi is indicated with Nothern Thailand, Central Taiwan, Nothern Indo-China and South-West China (southern Yunnan). Myanmar therefore should be added to the distribution area of Phaius takeoi, whose flowers are said to produce an elegant aroma. According to an article published in Myanmar Times, Phaius takeoi can also be found in Vietnam. It is found in 500 to 1400 meters.

The inflorescences arise from the basal or lower nodes of the stem and show four to ten flowers according to Lady Tankerville’s Legacy, five to fifteen flowers according to Myanmar Times. The lenght of the inflorescence does not exceed 55 cm. In Myanmar it flowers in July and August, but from October to December in other countries. Phaius takeoi can be seen in National Kandawgyi Garden in Pyin Oo Lwin. It is named after Takeo Ito, the Japanese botanist who discovered this beautyful species.

Read more about Phaius takeoi in my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/drachenkinder-jede-vierte-phaius-kommt-im-reich-der-mitte-vor/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/05/05/die-systematik-der-gattung-phaius-nach-judi-stone-und-phillip-cribb/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/die-registrierten-hybriden-der-phaius-tankervilleae/

and

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/12/15/die-hybriden-der-phaius-mishmensis/

 

A Phaius hybrid that I could register today is Phaiocalanthe Simone Halder. Pollen donor was the white and pink flowering Calanthe vesita; as mother plant I used Phaius mishmensis. I expect pinkish sepals and petals. The flowers of Phaiocalanthe Simone Halder are likely to open much better than the flowers of Phaius mishmensis and the lip is expected to have a more intense colour at its base than the sepals and tepals.

Phaius mishmenses will also influence the growth form of the pseudobulbs. All hybrids of Phaius mishmensis I have seen so far have elongated pseudobulbs. With some luck there will even be branched inflorescenses as seen in Phaius Morningstar. Calanthe vestita is likely to increase flower number of the inflorescence … I expect some 15 to 20 flowers!

 

Read more about Phaius mishmensis in my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/12/15/die-hybriden-der-phaius-mishmensis/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/direkt-aus-dem-paradies-phaius-mishmensis/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/07/08/phaius-mishmensis-und-phaius-morningstar-im-direkten-vergleich/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/09/22/immer-wieder-schoen-phaius-mishmensis/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/12/31/natuerliche-farbvarietaeten-bei-phaius-mishmensis-in-assam-indien/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/07/phaius-suzy-taylor/

and

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/12/31/pflege-von-phaius-mishmensis-im-gewaechshaus/

 

 

 

End of April we visited Wilhelma, Zoologisch-Botanischer Garten Stuttgart. To our delight we found one Phaius exhibited in the Wintergarten / Palmhaus, and identified it as a Phaius wallichii due to the colouration of the backside of the petals and sepals and due to the lenght and form of the spur.

Surprisingly this orchid was not labeld as Phaius wallichii, but as Phaius tankervilleae. What a pitty, this should not happen to a botanical garden, we thought. On the other hand, there are not many specialists that readily identify a Phaius … here are two pictures of the plant shown in Stuttgart:

Read more about Phaius wallichii in my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/phaius-wallichii/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/03/18/eine-weitere-varietaet-der-phaius-wallichii/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/phaius-wallichii-als-kreuzungspartner/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/phaius-wallichii-seedpod-maturation/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/03/02/shelf-life-time-of-phaius-wallichii/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/nathaniel-wallich/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/der-zahn-der-zeit-verblassende-schoenheit/

 

I am happy to have registered another Phaius tonkinensis hybrid: Phaius Julia Bloemertz. It is dedicated to a deer friend of mine that now works as a physician in Great Britain. Happy Birthday, dear Julia!

This hybrid is the first one that is part of the series “congratulation orchids”. Is there a present more longlasting than dedicating an orchid hybrid name to a beloved friend?

Are you searching for a unique present for a friend of yours? Just write to me! I have some hybrids that still wait for their name.

Read more about Phaius tonkinensis on my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/09/24/phaius-tonkinensis-blueht/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/10/feierte-letztes-jahr-ihr-zwanzigjaehriges-jubilaeum-phaius-tonkinensis/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/03/26/two-new-hybrids-registered/

Phaius Suzy Taylor

Phaius Federsee, a new Phaius hybrid

Phaius Memoria Pater Agnellus Schneider is flowering

Seedpod maturation time of Phaius tonkinensis

Taking care of Phaius tonkinensis seedlings

Phaius tonkinensis: larger than previously reported

Phaius tonkinensis with two inflorescences

and

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/drachenkinder-jede-vierte-phaius-kommt-im-reich-der-mitte-vor/

Read more about Phaius Gravesiae on my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/phaius-gravesiae-mit-riesiger-bluete/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/03/18/fluegge-phaius-gravesiae-nachzucht/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/04/erster-blogbeitrag/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/11/28/phaius-species-liberty-dark-clone-4n-is-a-fake/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/die-registrierten-hybriden-der-phaius-tankervilleae/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/phaius-wallichii-als-kreuzungspartner/

To my knowledge Phaius Memoria Pater Agnellus Schneider is the first registered hybrid of both Phaius tonkinensis and Phaius philippinensis.

I have dedicated this hybrid to Pater Agnellus Schneider, born 23rd of July 1913 in Leupolz, died 16th of July 2007 in Bad Wurzach. “Die Welt ist Gottes voll. Aus allen Poren der Dinge quillt uns dies entgegen”. This text is written on the  bronze statue that shows Pater Agnellus Schneider in front of the Bad Wurzacher conservation centre.

He was my biology teacher for one year and introduced me to his tame black tits in his small alpine garden, an unforgetabele event for me as a young school boy. In 1993 he published a book about orchids in Baden-Würrtemberg: “Die Orchideen von Baden-Württemberg. Ein Erlebnisbuch”. Glückler Verlag, Hechingen.

In his book he described some 60 orchid species and subspecies and thereby opened a window to the beauty of nature right in front of my house.

The second registered hybrid is Phaius Wurzacher Ried.

It is a hybrid of Phaius wallichii and Phaius mishmensis (see pictures below). The Wurzacher Ried is one of the largest nature reserves of southern Germany. In 1989 the Wurzacher Ried was awarded with an European Diploma. The European Diploma is an award of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. It is a diploma of the category A and therefore underlines the international importance of this moor. This diploma waits for its prolongation after 18th of June 2019. Lets cross fingers this will happen!

Above shown: Wurzacher Ried

Read more about Phaius philippinensis in my blog:

Die Erste auf den Philippinen: Phaius philippinensis

Wieder einmal in Blüte: Phaius philippinensis

and

Die Systematik der Gattung Phaius nach Judi Stone und Phillip Cribb

Read more about Phaius tonkinensis on my blog:

Phaius Suzy Taylor

Phaius Federsee, a new Phaius hybrid

Phaius Memoria Pater Agnellus Schneider is flowering

Seedpod maturation time of Phaius tonkinensis

Taking care of Phaius tonkinensis seedlings

Phaius tonkinensis: larger than previously reported

A new Phaius tonkinensis hybrid

Feierte letztes Jahr ihr zwanzigjähriges Jubiläum: Phaius tonkinensis!

Phaius tonkinensis with two inflorescences

Read more about Phaius mishmensis on my blog:

Phaius Suzy Taylor

Phaiocalanthe Simone Halder

Phaius mishmensis und Phaius Morningstar im direkten Vergleich

Natürliche Farbvarietäten bei Phaius mishmensis in Assam, Indien

Immer wieder schön: Phaius mishmensis

Direkt aus dem Paradies: Phaius mishmensis

Read more about Phaius wallichii in my blog:

Phaius wallichii

Eine weitere Varietät der Phaius wallichii? Phaius blumei.

Die Hybriden der Phaius wallichii

Phaius wallichii seedpod maturation

Shelf life time of Phaius wallichii

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/nathaniel-wallich/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/der-zahn-der-zeit-verblassende-schoenheit/

 

Already 1895 N.C. Cookson registered a hybird of Phaius tankervilleae and Gastrorchis humblotii: Gastrophaius Cooksoniae. This beautyful Gastrophaius can easily be cultivated on the window sill. Its inflorescence will show up to 20 flowers, in well developed plants even more. Such plants may even produce a second inflorescence at the same pseudobulb. I can highly recommend this Gastrophaius for orchid lovers, and even for those who have not much experience with Phaius.

Calanthe graciliflora Hayata (1911) is a Calanthe of the section Vernae. Its leaves are annual and the inforescence developes with the new leaves. The flowers are not very spectacular, neither in size nor in colouration. It is a temperate to cool growing Calanthe.

It is found in Japan, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong in moist and shady places along ravines or in forests. It climbs up to 2400 meters which shows that it must be quite tolerante against low tempetratures in winter time.

In 2008 R. MacDonald registerd Calanthe Mac’s Gold with the RHS. This is a hybrid with Calanthe graciliflora and Calanthe sieboldii. Other hybrids of Calanthe gracilifora have not yet been registered.

Calanthe tsoongiana Tang & F.T. Wang (1951) is a Calanthe of the section Vernae. Although its flowers are rather small, it is a beautyful Calanthe due to its flower coloration and the overall shape of the flowers. The inflorescence can have a lenght of up to some 50 cm. My plant shows more than 25 flowers.

It is a chinese Calanthe species that is found in forests growing on damp rocks. I have so far not collected much experience in cultivating this Calanthe but decided to grow it temperate in summer and rather cool in winter. Hopefully this treasure will survive.

I measured the shelf life time of Phaius tankervilleae var alba using an inflorescence with 9 flowers. The first flower opened 19th of january 2019. This flower dropped 23 days later at the 10th of february 2019. The last flower opened 21 days after the first flower at the 9th of february 2019 and droppped 27 days later at the 7th of march 2019.

Calanthe tricarinata is a beautyful species of the subgenus Calanthe section Vernae described in 1833 by John Lindley.

This Calanthe is found in Thailand, Myanmar, Kashmir, Nepal, Assam, Bhutan, India, China, Korea and Japan. It is a cool to cold growing terrestrial orchid that is found at elevations of 1500 to 3300 meters and needs low temperatures in winter for flower induction.

Calanthe tricarinata is one of the few Calanthe that can be grown in the garden in european countries with cold winters. Some sources claim -25 degrees Celcius are tolarated, others talk about -12 degrees Celcius. The pseudobulbs should anyway be protected against strong frost. In Germany I would plant this Calanthe outdoors only in regions where wine is successfully grown.

Calanthe tricarinata flowers have lime green tepals and sepals and a blood-red, frilled lip with white markings and three yellow keels. The inflorescence has a lenght of up to 50 – 60 centimeters.

I have used Phaius Morningstar in a number of crosses and indeed got some seedpods which develope to maturity. One of these seedpods I harvested today, as it opened over night. I pollinated the flower 25th of December 2018, it therefore took 67 days for the seedpod to develop to maturity.

A seedpod has got a lenght of about 5 cm and a diameter of about 1,6 cm.

I pollinated a second flower 29th of december 2018. It opened 68 days later at 07th of march 2019.

Read more about Phaius mishmensis on my blog:

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/07/08/phaius-mishmensis-und-phaius-morningstar-im-direkten-vergleich/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/12/31/natuerliche-farbvarietaeten-bei-phaius-mishmensis-in-assam-indien/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/12/07/phaius-suzy-taylor/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/phaiocalanthe-simone-halder/

https://prachtorchideen.wordpress.com/2018/09/22/immer-wieder-schoen-phaius-mishmensis/