Ansellia africana Article Text Only
Article text from Orchids Oct. 2018:
The genus Ansellia was described by John Lindley, and named in honor of the English assistant botanist, John Ansell, who discovered a specimen of Ansellia africana in 1841, on a trip to Fernando Po Island off the coast of West Africa. Ansellia is a single species or monotypic genus, meaning that it only has one recognized species. Several subspecies and varieties have been written about, but DNA and barcoding tests dismiss all the synonyms. Various synonyms that have been used in the past are: Ansellia africana var. australis Summerh, Ansellia africana var. nilotica Baker 1875, Ansellia confusa N.E.Brown 1886, Ansellia congoensis Rodigas 1886, Ansellia gigantea Rchb. f 1847, Ansellia gigantea subsp. nilotica (Baker) Senghas 1990, Ansellia gigantea var. nilotica (Baker) Summerh. 1937, Ansellia humilis Bulliard 1891, Ansellia nilotica [Baker]N.E.Brown 1886, Cymbidium sandersoni Harv. 1868. The published varietal forms have previously been used to describe differently patterned flowers within the genus or highlighting where particular specimens are found. The common name for Ansellia africana is the “leopard orchid,” reminiscent of the beautiful spotting of such a majestic animal. The genus is widespread in tropical and southern Africa, often found in hot dry climates in deciduous forests to coastal areas and along rivers in the tree canopy. It can occasionally be found growing lithophytically on rocky outcrops. The colors and patterns of Ansellia africana flowers vary enormously, with the plants from the northernmost extensions of its range bearing yellow- or even orange-based colored flowers with very dark brown, mahogany or almost black markings. In central Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and further south into Malawi, the flowers still have a yellow base with dark brown or even maroonbrown blotching. Further south into Zambia and Zimbabwe, the flowers have a much more intense yellow base color with more concentric barring, cinnamon brown barring, spotting or speckling. From Namibia and into South Africa, the base color can vary from lemon yellow to green with some light brown markings or spotting and some pure yellow and neargreen forms can also be found. Through selective breeding, modern breeding and molecular manipulation, better forms of Ansellia africana are more readily available today. Ansellia plants are robust epiphytes that adapt to living in full sun, but will also survive in a semishaded position, usually in the fork of a tree, where some plants can grow into massive specimens often over a yard (meter) across. New growths emerge in late spring and growandmature within 3–4 months during the summer, at which time in nature the rains will supply all the water the plants require. As soon as all the new pseudobulbs are plump and the autumn temperatures start to fall, the plants begin to experience a dry period that will initiate the formation of the inflorescences that elongate from the apex of the cane between the top set of leaves. Ansellia plants can carry several hundred flowers on a strong, branched inflorescence. If the plant has been well fertilized, inflorescences can also emerge from between the top sets of leaves as well as down along the pseudobulbs. The flowers last for 8– 10 weeks and emit a musty, woody and sometimes spicy fragrance. In cultivation, the plants will flower all year round, especially in a greenhouse where the dry periods can be manipulated to encourage flowering. Ansellias will happily grow in pots but must be well-drained, and a mix of gravel and bark is recommended — first for good drainage and second to provide some weight to the pot, as the plants can become very top heavy and easily topple over when the plants mature or are in full bloom. Ansellia africana is a strange but very interesting orchid that does not like being repotted annually, especially if grown in pots. The plants prefer to be left undisturbed, and as soon as they have established in pots, or in nature for that matter, they will start to send out strong white roots vertically upwards and out of the pot, creating a sort of nest (similar to that produced by many catasetums). This is used to catch leaf litter and other detritus, which will ultimately break down and be used as nutrition for the plants. So good are these “nests” that some birds actually do make their home in the root mass, and all the nutrition from the bird droppings of the fledglings will too become a rich supply of fertilizer for the plants. There is no doubt Ansellia africana is a hungry feeder, and in cultivation fertilizer should be administered regularly. In the spring a high nitrogen fertilizer (30–10–10) should be applied weekly, followed by a summer treatment of using a formulation such as 18–18–18 so that the plants can begin to harden off for autumn. Bloom boosters are not usually required, as it is a dry period that encourages the plants to flower. However, any good potash-based fertilizer offered in the autumn will boost the expectant plants. Good air movement is necessary to ensure good health of ansellias, especially when the humidity is high and after a good watering to minimize any fungal or bacterial diseases. There has been extensive line breeding, with some breeders claiming they have F9 line-bred crosses between the various color forms. Many superior forms have been awarded around the world, although much of the line breeding has been carried out in South Africa. Several line-bred Ansellia africana plants have been sold around the world, and a common report back is that plants are very susceptible to bacterial rot, leading ultimately to the demise of the plants. This has been a trend especially noted in humid climates such as Florida and the Caribbean, but also in Kenya, despite the plants being kept mostly dry during the winter. “Mostly dry” may not be dry enough for some of the more susceptible plants, which might require a totally dry period. can prevent the loss of the entire plant, and backbulbs can be removed and propagated very much like nobile-type dendrobiums on a bed of sand. My own plants, however, grow outdoors in the Western Cape, near Cape Town, which has a typical Mediterranean climate — cool wet winters and hot dry summers. My plants are grown in a very open medium of just a 50:50 bark and approximately ½-inch (12-mm) gravel mix in heavy terracotta pots positioned in full sun. The plants are watered by an automatic irrigation system, giving them 20 minutes of water four times a week from spring through summer and into midautumn. In winter the plants have to endure the cool, wet weather. Some of the most successful linebred strains have been bred using a very compact specimen found in the Kruger National Park where it is very unusual, as more of the plants in that area are very bulky and produce tall pseudobulbs. One variety that has also been used extensively is Ansellia africana ‘Mike’s Favourite’, a species in cultivation from Kenya that can carry upwards of 200 flowers on a very branched stem. Ansellia africana ‘Mont Millais’ AM/RHS, once considered to be one of the darkest marked specimens, is also a favorite in breeding programs and was originally collected in Kenya. Ansellia africana ‘Tiger Stripes’ AM/SAOC and ‘Caprivi’ are early line-bred cultivars, but are also extensively used as parents. The South African Orchid Council lists 19 awards of quality during its history and the Kenya Orchid Society lists two recent FCC awards for two line-bred specimens. Ansellia africana ‘Solio’ was recently discovered in a private collection and has been successfully selfed, and some seedlings have been treated with colchicine in an attempt to induce polyploidy. It is one of the most outstanding color forms knownwith the clearest and darkest markings. Ansellia africana ‘Garden Party’ AM/ AOS is one of the best examples of a clear yellow form, formerly known as Aslla. var. azanica as it is found in South Africa. This variety is widely available and has successfully been tissue cultured. Other breeding lines have produced almost red–orange lip lobes, and other lines have produced some of the darkest marked flowers with red lips with yellow keels. Green flowers are a work in progress, but many line-bred plants now exist with an apple-green base color and vivid mahogany markings. Several intergeneric hybrids havebeen made with some success, but generally the plants have taken excessively long to flower after deflasking, some taking up to 10 years. In addition, some crosses have never actually flowered and are often tossed out without results. Ansidium hybrids were some of the first intergenerics to be made, but most took a decade to flower and the results were mostly disappointing. Only one of these crosses was made in Africa (by Dr. Greg Russell) and named Ansidium Tessa Hedge (Cymbidium floribundum×Ansellia africana). The most interesting intergeneric hybrid is Ansecymphyllum Celestial Dawn, registered as (Ansellia africana × Grammatocymbidium Lovely Melody). This cross has been made on a few occasions, first registered by CEBG (Huang, Hu and Zhang) and again by Jumbo Orchids in Taiwan. Making the cross in reverse and using a dark-spotted form of the Ansellia as the pollen parent has resulted in very pleasing flowers, and one of the best results to date from any of the intergeneric crosses. Perhaps it would have been even more interesting if a pure yellow Ansellia africana had been used, as these do breed true and carry the pure-color gene in much the same way that pure-color cymbidiums do. I have no doubt that AnsidiumMagic Wand (Cymbidium Peter Pan × Ansellia africana) could have been a most interestinghybrid, but there is littlewritten about the hybrid and even searching old Stewart, Inc. catalogues (the registrant) from the late 1980s reveals nothing more than a simple listing of the hybrid. There are currently 22 intergeneric hybrids registered by the Royal Horticultural Society. There are few pictures available of the early hybrids, but thanks to Andy Chen at Jumbo Orchids, some of the pictures from his archives are included here and give us a view to some of his successes and even some of the less successful hybrids. AlthoughtheRHSorchidhybridregistry lists an intergeneric hybrid name between Ansellia and Grammangis (Anselangis), no hybrids have been registered to date. It appears in the accessions list of the Shanghai Botanical Garden and is based onGrammangis ellisii × Ansellia africana). An interesting point to note is that out of all 22 intergeneric crosses only three have usedAslla. africanaas the capsule parent, which may suggest that Aslla. africana may be unsuccessful or unreceptive to pollen from another genus. There is probably little threat to wild plants from collectors, considering the level of interest in line-bred plants these days, although tubs can be seen along the roadside throughout Africa being sold by illegal traders. In Zimbabwe, where corruption and poverty is rife, people smuggle ansellia plants into neighboring countries as “wood products,” and sell them to buyers as the leopard orchid, thinking that single pseudobulbswill easily root and grow into big specimens. Sadly, the pseudobulbs have been wrapped in newspaper and plastic bags, and many succumb to bacterial rot. There certainly is trade in Ansellia africana among some tribes, and moreso “muti-men” or traditional witch doctors prescribe the bulbs to be chewed as a remedy for stomach pain or as an aphrodisiac. There are some medical reports of studies that suggest that Ansellia africana plants may possess untapped reserves of important biomolecules that have activity on the central nervous system and potential efficacy in the treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The genus Ansellia is currently listed as a Red Data List under CITES Appendix II, which controls the international trade in the species. Although the last major assessment of the genus was carried out in 2013, there are no accurate data on the current natural populations of Ansellia africana. However, it is clear that there has been constant harvesting and trade over the past 20 years. The decline in natural populations is also due to vast habitat destruction that continues in Africa for logging, land clearing for agricultural purposes, overgrazing and informal housing development.
Susan
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I need to start over with an established plant because they should grow really well here.
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