The Bakers were kind enough to give me permission to share the Haraella Retrocalla culture sheet. Great, affordable info for species plants as you will see.
Orchid Culture - Charles and Margaret Baker
Please remember that this sheet is for your use only and may not be
reproduced or retransmitted in any way without permission.
ORCHID SPECIES CULTURE
Charles and Margaret Baker
Haraella retrocalla (Hayata) Kudô
AKA: Saccolabium retrocallum Hayata, Gastrochilus retrocallus Hayata,
Haraella odorata Kudô, Gastrochilus odoratus (Kudô) Masamune, Saccolabium
odoratum (Kudô) Makino & Nemoto.
ORIGIN/HABITAT: Taiwan. This orchid is found in broad-leaved forests at
1650-4900 ft. (500-1500 m) throughout the island with specific collections
reported from near Taipei and near Taitung.
CLIMATE: Station #46766, Taitung, Taiwan, Lat. 22.8N, Long. 121.2E, at 31
ft. (9 m). Temperatures are calculated for an elevation of 3300 ft. (1000
m), resulting in probable extremes of 89F (32C) and 37F (3C).
N/HEMISPHERE JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
F AVG MAX 62 63 67 70 74 76 79 77 75 71 68 64
F AVG MIN 48 49 52 56 60 62 63 63 62 59 55 51
DIURNAL RANGE 14 14 15 14 14 14 16 14 13 12 13 13
RAIN/INCHES 1.1 1.2 1.1 3.0 5.3 10.0 6.4 11.7 12.4 4.8 5.4 2.3
HUMIDITY/% 77 78 79 81 82 84 80 83 84 80 77 77
BLOOM SEASON * * * * *
DAYS CLR @ 8AM 4 5 4 5 6 3 11 8 7 9 7 5
DAYS CLR @ 2PM 3 3 3 4 3 3 8 5 5 4 4 4
RAIN/MM 28 30 28 76 135 254 163 297 315 122 137 58
C AVG MAX 16.8 17.2 19.4 21.1 23.3 24.4 26.1 25.0 23.9 21.7 20.0 17.8
C AVG MIN 9.0 9.4 11.1 13.3 15.6 16.7 17.2 17.2 16.7 15.0 12.8 10.6
DIURNAL RANGE 7.8 7.8 8.3 7.8 7.7 7.7 8.9 7.8 7.2 6.7 7.2 7.2
S/HEMISPHERE JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
Cultural Recommendations:
LIGHT: 2000-3000 fc. Plants need bright, filtered or diffused light and
protection from direct midday sun. Strong air movement should be provided
at all times.
TEMPERATURES: Summer days average 76-79F (24-26C), and nights average
62-63F (17C), with a diurnal range of 14-16F (8-9C).
HUMIDITY: 80-85% during summer and autumn, decreasing to 75-80% during
winter and spring.
WATER: Rainfall in the habitat is moderate to heavy from spring into
autumn. Averages then drop fairly quickly into a fairly dry season that
lasts for 3-4 months in winter and early spring. Cultivated plants should
be watered heavily while actively growing, but drainage must be excellent
so that the roots do not stay soggy after watering. Plants should be
repotted beforethe medium becomes stale. Water should be gradually reduced
in late autumn after new growth has matured.
FERTILIZER: 1/4-1/2 recommended strength, applied weekly when plants are
actively growing. Many growers 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 62-64F (17-18C), and nights average
48-51F (9-11C), with a diurnal range of 13-14F (7-8C). Rainfall in the
habitat is fairly low for 3-4 months in winter, but high humidity and
nightly cooling result in frequent, heavy deposits of dew which makes more
moisture available than the rainfall averages indicate. Cultivated plants
need less water In winter and should become somewhat dry between
waterings. They should not dry out completely, however, or be without
water for long periods. In most growing areas fairly frequent
early-morning mistings between occasional light waterings should provide
sufficient moisture. Fertilizer should be reduced or eliminated until new
growth starts and heavier watering is resumed in spring.
GROWING MEDIA: Plants may be grown in well-drained containers or mounted
on cork or tree-fern slabs. Mounted plants display the flowers to the best
advantage, but they require high humidity at all times with at least daily
watering in summer. Several waterings a day may be necessary for mounted
plants during very hot, dry weather. If it is difficult keep mounted
plants moist, they may be grown in pots or baskets using a very open, fast
draining medium such as medium-sized fir bark. Perlite and charcoal are
often included in the mix to hold the medium open, retain some moisture,
and prevent souring. Many closely related species are especially
intolerant of stale conditions around the roots, and these plants probably
should be repotted immediately if the medium starts to deteriorate.
Repotting usually is best done just as new root growth is starting which
enables the plant to become re-established in the shortest possible time.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: The bloom season shown in the climate table is based
on reports from the habitat.
Plant and Flower Information:
PLANT SIZE AND TYPE: A small, 0.4-0.8 in. (1-2 cm) monopodial epiphyte.
PSEUDOBULB/STEM: 0.4-0.8 in. (1-2 cm) long. The stem is hidden by the
enclosing base of the leaves but growths are densely rooting toward the
base of the stem.
LEAVES: 1.2-2.8 in. (3-7 cm) long by 0.3-0.4 in. (0.8-1.1 cm) wide.
Growths carry 4-7 greenish, rather sickle-shaped leaves which are closely
spaced in 2 alternating rows on each stem. They are pointed at the tip,
wedge-shaped at the base, and keeled along the midvein on the lower side.
The short, broad sheaths surround the stem.
INFLORESCENCE: 1.6-3.1 in. (4-8 cm) long. Several flower spikes (usually
2) are produced from the stem along the axils of the leaves. They are very
flexuous and slender and carry successively opening blossoms at their
tips. Each flower is carried on a pedicellate ovary that is up to 0.4 in.
(1 cm) long.
FLOWERS: 1-4 per inflorescence. The fleshy blossoms open in succession
with no more than 2 open at a time. The spreading, spurless flowers, which
are large relative to the size of the plant, are about 0.6 in. (1.5 cm)
across the horizontally spreading petals and about 0.9 in. (2.3 cm) long
from the tip of the dorsal sepal to the apex of the lip. Sepals and petals
are pale yellow to whitish yellow. The lip is whitish yellow with a large,
hairy, deeply colored, reddish purple disc which is bordered by a broad
yellow band. Sepals are oblanceolate-oblong or somewhat egg-shaped,
sharply pointed at the tip, contracted at the base, and up to 0.3 in. (0.8
cm) long by 0.1-0.2 in. (0.3-0.4 cm) wide. The elliptic to oblong petals
are up to 0.3 in. (0.8 cm) long by 0.1 in. (0.25-0.3 cm) wide but taper
toward the base. The large, spreading, somewhat oblong lip is the dominant
feature of the flower. It is 0.5-0.6 in. (1.2-1.4 cm) long by 0.3-0.4 in.
(0.8-1.0 cm) wide both near the base and near the apex with a constriction
near the middle. The margin on the apical portion of the lip is wavy and
minutely fringed. The disc is densely hairy above but is smooth below and
has a large callus near the base. The very small column is about 0.1 in.
(0.25 cm) long. It has an anther cap that is 0.1 in. (0.32 cm) long by 0.1
in. (0.27 cm) wide and a margin that is more or less toothed.
HYBRIDIZING: N/A.
REFERENCES:
Chen, Singchi, Zhanou Tsi, and Luo Yibo. 1999. Native Orchids of China in
Colour. Science Press. Beijing, New York.
Lin, Tsian-Piao. 1975. Native orchids of Taiwan. vol. 1. Southern
Materials Center, P. O. Box 13-342, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Liu, Tang-Shui. 1978. Flora of Taiwan vol. 5-Angiospermae. Orchidaceae by
Su, Horng-Jye. Epoch Publishing Co., Ltd. Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of
China. Sponsored by the National Science Foundations of the Republic of
China and of the United States under a cooperative Science Program.
Pridgeon, A. ed. 1992. The illustrated encyclopedia of orchids. Timber
Press, Portland, OR.
Tropicos W3, Missouri Botanical Garden, Nomenclatural Data Base, March 8,
1998 at http: //mobot.mobot.org/cgi-bin/search_pick.
PHOTOS/DRAWINGS:
Chen, Singchi, Zhanou Tsi, and Luo Yibo. 1999. Native Orchids of China in
Colour. Science Press. Beijing, New York. (Color photo)
Linear Mode
