The description of its habitat from
IOSPE is "A large sized, cool growing terrestrial found in the eastern US growing in wet pine barrens, wet meadows and forests"
I would suspect that it needs a high-organic potting mix, perhaps with some peat, and perlite just to lighten it up. Wet! How familiar are you with terrestrial orchids, especially North American terrestrials? You should do some research in that area. Terrestrials in general grow from tubers such as yours, that "hide" underground through the winter, emerging in the spring. This particular one seems to have its bloom time in late summer or early fall After it blooms, the part above the ground dies back, and that tuber lives underground again through the cold months. According to Orchidwiz, it occurs throughout the Eastern seaboard - Connecticut to Florida, and well into the Midwest and South (like Michigan to Alabama and everyplace in between)
But if you are worried about cold, how cold does it get in Coneecticut or Michigan or Indiana? A whole lot colder than southern California!
Another note... when I grow terrestrials and am not sure which way to orient the tuber, I just plant it sidewise, let the plant figure out what's roots and what's stem.,
Threaded Mode