Jewel orchids from seed

Range of genera  Jewel Orchids

Several genera are cultivated at Burleigh Park, Haemaria ,Anoectochilus, Dossinia, Goodyera, and Macodes. Culture requirements are simple, a very well shaded sheltered position, small pots well crocked, and shredded spaghnam moss and isolite.

The plants are grown with the rhizome more or less on the surface of the media, never buried.

Cultivated species

• Anoectochilus formosanus

  A robust species with dark green leaves veined silver and gold. The underside of the leaf is reddish. The photograph of A.formosanus shows its progress to near maturity in the final reflask bottle, a 100 ml miniflask.
  

• Anoectochilus formosanus variegata

  A yellow edged leaf with yellow veins.

• Haemaria discolor var Dawsoniana

  A larger growing species with dark green black leaves veined gold. The underside of the leaf is red brown.

• Haemaria discolor var alba

  A smaller growing species with emerald green leaves veined silver. The underside of the leaf has no redbrown colouring. Photo shows both alba and var odina for comparison.

• Haemaria discolor var Odina

  A slightly smaller grower than the normal form, and with definite silver veins on the dark green leaf background.

• Dossinia marmorata var Dayii

  A large leafed species with red black leaves and gold veining.
  

• Macodes sanderiana

  Another large leaf of green with gold veining.

• Goodyera hispida

  A vivid green leaf veined silver.

Germination and deflasking

The final reflask entails the planting of individual plantlets in the bottle to develop to a size where they can be deflasked.

Deflasking is also relatively simple. Seedlings are washed from the bottle (or the bottle broken), and all agar is washed from the plants.

Goodyera schlectendaliana

Culture

The seedlings are placed together on the surface of a thin bed of shredded spaghnam and isolite in a small community pot. We use 10cm pots, two thirds filled with crock.

After compotting the seedlings, the pot is drenched with water and placed in a sheltered, very shady position, with light misting occasionally for a few days.

DO NOT TREAT SEEDLINGS AT THIS STAGE WITH FUNGICIDES, which are growth inhibitors.

Upcoming species

Other species awaiting seed pods are Anoectochilus youngianus and Anoectochilus roxburghii. These also appear to grow well in the fine bark or shredded spaghnam.

We would be interested to hear from other growers who have other species and genera and an interest in conservation by propagation. Email us now!