Flasks of Pecteilis susannae 'PX060' × self

Culture Notes from Donor: Parent plant: Temperature range W (70-90°F). Pecteilis susanna grows in areas of rocky grassland that are burned annually. Cultivation: After flowering has finished, the leaves will die back slowly (around mid-August). From late August, give absolutely no water. When the shoot (and the soil) has totally dried up, pile dry grasses and small twigs on top of the pot and set fire to them (this is a serious statement; NOT a joke !!). Allow one week to cool down, collect and keep and the ashes, break open the soil and remove the large creamy-white tuber. Store in a dry cool (frost-free) location over winter. A new shoot will appear sometime during Feb-March; when this happens, bury the tuber with it's top about 1 inch below the surface in a large pot using a rich, open, potting mixture with plenty of wood-ash mixed in (those stored ashes) .. do NOT use BBQ charcoal ashes or coal-ash. Do not water until the young shoot has emerged (may take up to 4 weeks), then water cautiously from below until the first leaves have opened. After this, bring (slowly) into full sun; give plenty of water and fertiliser during active growth, gradually diminish feeding and watering after the flowers have fallen.

Comments: Pecteilis susannae (formerly Habenaria susannae) is a dramatic terrestrial species that used to be widespread across Southeast Asia, but has been driven to the edge of extinction by over-collection. It is usually collected when in bloom, thereby guaranteeing that the plant will die. It has an erect leafy shoot that reaches up to 100 cm high, and a single 20 cm long terminal inflorescence of 4-10 large white to pale green flowers with a showy white lip. Flowers up to 8 cm across have been recorded.

Parent plant: Large plant

For additional origin/habitat information supplied courtesy of Charles and Margaret Baker, see further below, near the bottom of this page.

Temperatures we attempt to use in the lab & greenhouse:

For Species:		Spring, Summer, Autumn: days average 85°F, nights 71°F; best fit is Warm 90-70°F (Source: Baker's Web OSC)
For Species:		Winter: days average 83°F, nights 53°F; best fit is Intermediate 83-60°F (Source: Baker's Web OSC)

About the name...

Etymology of	Pecteilis	From Greek "pectein" a comb. (Source: The New Encyclopedia of Orchids)
Etymology of	susannae	Named for Susanna, daughter of the botanist Rumphius. (Source: Mayr & Schmucker 1998)
Pronunciation of	Pecteilis	pek-TAY-lis (Source: Hawkes 1978)
Pronunciation of	susannae	soo-ZAN-eye (Source: Hawkes 1978)

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Flask Information
Availability:	There were problems with this item and we weren't able to make any viable flasks.
You should:	Consider placing a "Notify Retries" Request, and if an identical pollination (the same parents) is done again, we'll let you know.
You might also want to:	View the seed assay for this item. View items of the same species. View items of the same genus.

The origin/habitat information below is supplied courtesy of Charles and Margaret Baker

The following information is based on the name of the plant provided by the donor, and assumes that the name is correct. If the plant has been misidentified, then the following information may not be correct.
This text is copyrighted by the Bakers and may not be reproduced without permission.

ORIGIN/HABITAT: India, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, and Malaya. In India, plants have been found in the Khasia Hills in the Assam region, but habitat details were not reported. Plants in Thailand have been found in the mountains of northwest Thailand near Chiengmai at 1650-2950 ft. (500-900 m). Plants in Laos have been found on the Vientiane Plain without additional details reported. Plants were found in Cambodia on Mt. Tomrey, between Precan and Mealea, and on Mt Kamchay, again with no additional details given. In Vietnam, plants have been found near Long Tcheou in Tonkin and near Lac Durong and between Dran and Danglo in Langbian. In China, plants are reportedly common all over Yunnan Province where they grow on marshy hillsides at 5000-9000 ft. (1520-2740 m). In Malaya plants have been found only in the northwestern state of Kedah where they grow in open grassy places. Peter O'Byrne, an orchid researcher and writer from Singapore, reports that Pecteilis susannae grows in areas of rocky grassland that are burned annually.
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