Barkeria vanneriana Rchb.f.
Family Orchidaceae, Genus Barkeria
Taxonomic data provided by Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist,
using World Checklist of Selected Plant Families version 15 Oct 2007
Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Govaerts R., 11-Nov-2003
This name is incorrect - it's a synonym for Barkeria lindleyana subsp. vanneriana (Rchb.f.) Thien (but my source is not the RHS so it might be inacurate...and I am not an expert in finding names and parents...I am just starting...
In my research:
The genus Barkeria is a small one, both as the size of the genus, and the general size of the plants…their bright attractive flowers produced from small plants makes them a desirable addition to most collectors, or just for anyone who enjoys attractive flowers.
The plant just look like a clump of dry twigs in its dormancy, but in the spring new growths are produced which develop during the warm moist summers finally producing flowers in the autumn and early winter…when the atmosphere becomes very dry, when the plants loose their leaves, and are dormant. They naturally grow on small shrubs, and on small branches of trees, with their roots freely exposed to moving air. Therefore a very open compost must be used, which will require heavy watering during the spring and summer, but which can be kept dry during the later autumn and winter while the plants enter their period of natural dormancy.
The main Barkeria species are barkeriola, chinensis, dorotheae, halbingeri, lindleyana, malanocaulon, naevosa, palmeri, scandens, schoemakeri, skinneri, spectabilis, strophinx and uniflora. The commonly cultivated species are skinneri and lindleyana.
The culture of barkeria is exceedingly difficult for the unwary. However it is very simple if you are fully aware of their needs. As noted above they naturally grow on scrub brush or on rocks. Any plant crammed into a pot in almost any kind of compost rarely survives a second year.
They should be grown in pots with large drainage holes, utilizing large sized media. Large pieces of charcoal bark and/or tree fern is best. Plants need to be heavily watered when in active growth, from the time the new growths appear in the spring up to the point of flowering in the early autumn, and must be kept warm. When flowering, it should be moved to a dry cooler place. During the winter months only mist occasionally if the roots look desiccated, it should not be watered much. In the period of dormancy it can be in cooler conditions. Good light levels should be maintained, and intermediate conditions during growth are appropriate. Some expert growers recommend mounting on cork or firm tree fern slabs.
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