Medinilla magnifica

[nenella]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

But why peat and humus?

Why not like an orchid, bark?

Aren't they epiphytes?

Peat suggests it's a bog plant.

Humus suggests it grows on rotting wood.

Bark suggests it grows on a living tree, like a true epiphyte.

This is weird. Now I wanna know, and I don't even own this plant.

Is it an epiphyte of swamp forests growing on the lower tree trunks of trees or something? That's the only thing that makes sense!

Man, I hope someone on the OB who's actually from the Philippines can answer this question. I've not found a good picture of it in the wild also! How cryptic were the people who first introduced this plant into cultivation?! In my opinion, some secrets should never be honored, and this is one of them!

- I haven't the foggiest idea......... that's why I wrote as I couldnt figure out the medium it was in! & I can tell you I had a very hard time 'finding' it- & even went as far as poking a hole in the plastic bag at the shop to make sure it looked like the same stuff as living in France it has a totally different name! (I did but the bag I poked- & got the lady at the till to put a bit of celo tape on it!)
here's mine :

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I sent personal messages to three people on the OB, hopefully they'll reply or can answer this question once and for all!

Apparently, this plant is quite possibly endangered in the wild as well. And we can find greater numbers of them in cultivation than in the wild.

The people I'm hoping will answer are Burr, Tabobong, and orchidbingo.

Burr and Tabobong are currently residing in the Philippines. Orchidbingo used to.

I hope I haven't intruded on their space.

[libby]

Thank you both. I know these plants are native to the Phillipines, but I have heard that they grow a lot of them in Hawaii also (in trees from what I understand).

[orchidbingo]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

But why peat and humus?

Why not like an orchid, bark?

Aren't they epiphytes?

Peat suggests it's a bog plant.

Humus suggests it grows on rotting wood or that it grows in topsoil.

Bark suggests it grows on a living tree, like a true epiphyte.

This is weird. Now I wanna know, and I don't even own this plant.

Is it an epiphyte of swamp forests growing on the lower tree trunks of trees or something? That's the only thing that makes sense!

Man, I hope someone on the OB who's actually from the Philippines can answer this question. I've not found a good picture of it in the wild also! How cryptic were the people who first introduced this plant into cultivation?! In my opinion, some secrets should never be honored, and this is one of them!

My college intro. botany professor, Consuelo V. Asis, who literally wrote the often referenced book on endemic plants of the Philippines, said that it was endemic to the lowland rain forests of Luzon and the Cordillera range. I spent several weeks hiking many of those aforesaid rain forests in my field botany class, and never saw a Medinilla magnifica growing on a tree. As it is a large plant, and as I was always in the company of several experienced Pilipino field botanists, I doubt I could have missed one if it was there
Sadly, the only Medinillas I saw in the Philippines were in cultivation, and growing on Osmunda fern roots or on coarsely chopped coconut husks.

I was just about to post a reply saying sorry but I have nothing I can add that might be of use, when our housekeeper walked by me sitting at the computer. She saw the picture from the link and said something in her dialect that translates as 'oh there are tons of those growing in the woods where I grew up'. She grew up on a remote island in the extreme south of the Philippines, nowhere near the mostly Northern rainforest where Medinilla is supposedly endemic.

So to muddy the waters further, while I never saw it wild where it is supposedly endemic she is certain she saw it on the ground way, way south (as in the direction of Borneo, Malaysia and Indonesia) of where it isn't.

Granted this would be in the mid 1970's for both of our experiences and since she isn't a botanist might not have distinguished a different but related species.

Dr Asis has since passed away but if I get a chance I'll try to get in touch with some of my Pilipino friends in the Botany Dept. of the Univ. of the Phil.


Sorry if I've just added to the confusion

bingo

[greenbean]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

But why peat and humus?

Why not like an orchid, bark?

Aren't they epiphytes?

Peat suggests it's a bog plant.

Humus suggests it grows on rotting wood or that it grows in topsoil.

Bark suggests it grows on a living tree, like a true epiphyte.

First off, thanks for introducing us to this unusual and beautiful plant, Libby.

The only information I can add to this discussion is that some epiphytes ARE grown in potting soil in cultivation. The best example is Zygocactus and Schlumbergia, the common Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter cacti, among other tropical cacti. These plants grow naturally as epiphytes, but in cultivation they are most commonly planted in a loose, peaty soil. Many bromeliads are also grown in a similar soil, but are found in nature as epiphytes. And though it is not the common practice, Staghorn ferns can also be grown in pots of peat-based soil.

The thing to keep in mind is that some epiphytes grow in deeper pockets on branches, where more material can gather and decompose. Also, in the humid rainforests (either tropical or temperate) where most of these plants come from, moss is so prolific that it can coat branches and trunks in thick layers and, eventually, a fine soil-like layer forms under the moss. Remember, nature doesn't have any hard-and-fast rules, so be prepared to think outside the box and still be surprised.

[libby]

I had forgotten about the other epiphytes that grow in soil. I have schlumbergeras and epiphyllums that have been growing in soil for years and they do great. I think I just watered the other medinilla too much.

Thanks to everyone for your input. Sorry to have stirred up so much confusion.

Nenella - your plant is beautiful. It must be happy!

[libby]

She has arrived!!

I received my new M. Magnifica plant. It is in a 2.5" pot and is planted in a very loose peaty, African violet type mixture with lots of perlite. I don't think I will need to repot it until Spring. I don't like to repot this time of year unless it really needs it. Hopefully this one will be OK.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Nice, good luck!