Read more of Cultivation of Podangis dactyloceras (Rchb.f.) Schltr.,
Light:
2000-3000 fc. Light should be filtered or diffused, and plants should not be exposed to direct midday sun. Strong air movement should be provided at all times.
Temperatures:
Summer days average 71-75F (22-24C), and nights average 59-61F (15-16C), with a diurnal range of 12-14F (7-8C). I. & E. La Croix (1997) report that this orchid grows well at intermediate temperatures. If an evaporative cooler is used in the growing area, these plants should thrive if placed in the cool, moist airflow near the outlet during hot, dry summer weather.
Humidity:
80-85% in summer and early autumn. Averages then drop to 70-75% in winter and early spring.
Water:
Ranfall is heavy from spring through summer and into midautumn. Averages then fall with 2- to 3-month drier season in winter. Cultivated plants should be watered heavily while actively growing, but their roots must dry fairly quickly after watering. I. & E. La Croix (1997) report that the roots on this species tend to rot if overwatered. Their plant is grown in a pot with fir bark mix which they allow to dry out before watering again.
Fertilizer:
1/4-1/2 recommended strength, applied weekly when plants are actively growing. Many growers prefer to use a balanced fertilizer throughout the year; but others use a high-nitrogen fertilizer from spring to midsummer, then switch to one high in phosphates in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Winter days average 77-81F (25-27C), and nights average 56-59F (13-15C), with a diurnal range of 19-22F (11-12C). The warmest days, coolest nights, and greatest diurnal range occur during the dry season. Rainfall in the region is reduced for 2-3 months in winter, but additional moisture is available from heavy dew and late-night mist. Water should be reduced for cultivated plants in winter, particularly those grown in the dark, short-day conditions common in temperate latitudes. Plants should not remain without water for long periods, however. In most growing areas, somewhat regular early-morning mistings between occasional light waterings should provide sufficient moisture. Fertilizer should be reduced or eliminated until heavier watering is resumed in spring.
Growing media:
Because of their tendency for root rot if overwatered, these plants are probably more easily managed if mounted on a cork or hardwood slab. Their flowers tend to turn brown if they get wet, however, so many growers prefer to use a shallow, well-drained pot or basket filled with a very coarse, open, fast-draining medium that has excellent drainage, is well aerated, and allows the medium to dry fairly rapidly after watering. Growers generally use medium-sized fir bark or shredded tree-fern fiber and add varying amounts of chunky perlite and/or chopped sphagnum moss in extremely dry climates to keep the medium open and retain some moisture. Including charcoal in the mix also holds the medium open and prevents souring in the pot. Plants should be repotted immediately if the medium starts to break down or whenever the plant outgrows its container. Repotting should be done just as new roots start to grow. This enables the plant to become reestablished in the shortest possible time.
Miscellaneous notes:
Growers report that plants bloom in summer.
References:
This information is quoted from a Charles and Margaret Baker culture sheet, with permission from Troy Meyers
Genus Podangis
Podangis dactyloceras (Rchb.f.) Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36(2): 82 (1918).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Listrostachys dactyloceras Rchb.f., Flora 48: 190 (1865).
Angorchis dactyloceras (Rchb.f.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 651 (1891).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Listrostachys forcipata Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 19: 254 (1894).
Angraecum forcipatum (Kraenzl.) Engl. in H.G.A.Engler & O.Drude, Veg. Erde 9(II): 420 (1908).
Listrostachys saxicola Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 48: 399 (1912).
Description:
A monopodial epiphyte with short stems. Plants sometimes form clumps and they produce very fine roots at the base of the stem. Pseudobulb/stem: Short. Leaves: Up to 4 in. (10 cm) long by 0.2-0.4 in. (0.5-1.0 cm) wide. Four to eight ascending leaves with overlapping bases are closely spaced and distichously arranged along the stem to form a fan-shaped growth. The fleshy leaves are linear, often curved, are bilaterally flattened to form a V-shaped cross section and have sharply pointed tips. Inflorescence: Up to 2 in. (5 cm) long. The flower spike arises along the leaf axil of the lower leaves or the leaf bases which remain on the lower part of the stem after the leaf has fallen. Each blossom is carried on a straight pedicellate ovary that is white and measures 0.8-1.0 in. (2.0-2.5 cm) long, with those at the base of the inflorescence being longer so that all the flowers are held at almost the same level. Flowers: A few up to 20 per inflorescence. The rather bell-shaped flowers are translucent white with a crystalline texture. The anther cap is dark green. in. ( cm) across. Sepals are oblong, bluntly pointed, and 0.2-0.3 in. (0.4-0.7 cm) long by 0.1-0.2 in. (0.3-0.4 cm) wide. The broadly egg-shaped, sharply pointed petals are 0.2 in. (0.4-0.5 cm) long by 0.1-0.2 in. (0.3-0.5 cm) wide. The lip is egg-shaped, sharply pointed, very concave, 0.2 in. (0.4-0.6 cm) long by 0.2 in. (0.4-0.5 cm) wide, and has a rather undulate margin. The spur at the base of the lip is 0.4 in. (0.9-1.1 cm) long. It tapers from a funnel-shaped mouth and then is enlarged into 2 lobules at its apex. The column is 0.04-0.08 in. (0.1-0.2 cm) long.
Habitat:
In evergreen rainforests often near waterfalls or rivers at altitudes of 750 to 1950 meters.
Cultivation:
Read more of Cultivation of Podangis dactyloceras (Rchb.f.) Schltr.,
Distribution:
W. Trop. Africa to Angola and Tanzania
References:
Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 10 1970; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 2 1979; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 5 2004; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 11 2008; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 12 2008 WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 12.03.2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
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| In culture | In culture | In culture | In culture | In culture | In culture | In culture |
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| Photograph ©Leo Klemm. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph ©Leo Klemm. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph ©Leo Klemm. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph ©Leo Klemm. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph ©Leo Klemm. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph ©Leo Klemm. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph ©Leo Klemm. Image used with kind permission. |
Podangis rhipsalisocia (Rchb.f.) P.J.Cribb & Carlsward, Phytotaxa 71: 46 (2012).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Angraecum rhipsalisocium Rchb.f., Flora 48: 189 (1865).
Angorchis rhipsalisocia (Rchb.f.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 651 (1891).
Listrostachys rhipsalisocia (Rchb.f.) Rolfe in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 7: 158 (1897).
Aerangis rhipsalisocia (Rchb.f.) Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36(2): 123 (1918).
Rangaeris rhipsalisocia (Rchb.f.) Summerh. in J.Hutchinson & J.M.Dalziel, Fl. W. Trop. Afr. 2: 449 (1936).
Neowolffia rhipsalisocia (Rchb.f.) O.Gruss, Orchid. Atlas: 239 (2007).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Listrostachys trachypus Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 19: 253 (1894).
Listrostachys cordatiglandula De Wild., Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 5: 184 (1914).
Angraecum cordatiglandulum De Wild., Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 5: 184 (1916).
Aerangis cordatiglandula (De Wild.) Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36(2): 121 (1918).
Rangaeris trachypus (Kraenzl.) Guillaumin, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., II, 31: 118 (1959).
Description:
Stems short, to 4 cm long; roars stout, 4-5 mm in diameter.; Leaves four to six, borne in a fan, to 12 x 0.8 cm, bilaterally flattened, linear, acute, fleshy. Inflorescences arising below leaves, 10 cm long, 9- to 10-flowered. Flowers bell-shaped, not opening wide; white, turning apricot as they age, the spur greenish. Pedicel and ovary 10-12 mm long; bracts 2 mm lang. Sepals and petals all lanceolate, acute; dorsal sepal 9 x 3 mm; laterals 11 x 2 mm. Petals 8 x 2 mm. Lip entire, 10 mm long, 3 mm wide at the base, tapering rather abruptly in the apical half to an acute apex; spur to 15 mm long, tapering, the apical third hooked forwards. Column short and stout, 2 mm lang.
Habitat:
Evergreen forest, 100-200 m.
Cultivation:
This species can do well in cultivation, both mounted and in a pot, but can also be temperamental. If pot-grown, it needs a fairly coarse mix, which must not become too wet, or the roots rot. Grow it in moderate shade in intermediate temperatures, but it would probably be even better in warm temperatures. It flowers in spring and early summer (May and June)
Distribution:
W. Trop. Africa to Angola
References:
WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 12.03.2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
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