Why is the monkey face orchid hailed as the Monkey King of the orchid world?
The "Monkey King" of the orchid world - the monkey face orchidorchid
In the tropical mountain rainforests of the Americas, the dark and humid environment and unique geographical features have given rise to many exotic flowers and plants. Among them is a very peculiar orchid, the "monkey face orchid".
When the monkey face orchid blooms, it looks remarkably like a monkey's face. The three outermost sepals of the flower form the outline of the "monkey face" like petals, the two lateral petals mark out the clever "eyes", the "monkey nose" is made up of the column unique to orchids, and the vivid "monkey mouth" is formed by the highly variable lip. The plant is rather small, usually growing on tree forks piled with dead branches, fallen leaves or moss and other debris, and it is very well hidden, so it is very difficult for people to find.
In 1978, botanist Carlyle Luer discovered the monkey face orchid in Ecuador. Together with similar species discovered before and after, the monkey face orchid family currently has about 120 species and natural hybrids, with the vast majority of species distributed in Ecuador and a small number in countries such as Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica and Panama. These species differ in various ways in flower color, especially in the shape and structure of the lip. The phenomenon of their flowers resembling Sun Wukong is really pure coincidence, and new species of monkey face orchid are discovered every year. In recent years, new species have been found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Peru.
The monkey face orchid is a perennial epiphytic herb of the orchid family genus Dracula, with a plant height of 30-40 cm. It has a single stem and single leaf, upright, with short creeping stems but no pseudobulbs. The leaves are band-shaped or elliptical, thin in texture, and 25 cm long. The single flower or raceme grows at the base of the stem, 18-20 cm long, with drooping flowers, bearing one or more flowers; the flowers are large, with a vertical diameter of 10-30 cm. The sepals are the most prominent part of the flower. The dorsal sepal is upright, and the bases of the two lateral sepals are joined to varying degrees into a flat blade or cup shape. The tips of the three sepals evenly contract and extend separately into slender tails, and the tails can be up to 20 cm long. The sepals often have downy hairs. The two petals are short and thick, relatively small, each with a wart-like protrusion at the tip, located on either side of the column above the lip, like two eyes. The lip has swollen lamellae or ridges. The flower colors are rich, including white, red, orange-red, purple, yellow, etc., mostly bi-colored. The flowering period is spring and summer, or autumn and winter, and moreover different species bloom in all four seasons. The scent it gives off is similar to that of ripe oranges or mushrooms.
The plant grows at an altitude of 1500-2300 m. Some species have habitats below 300 m, but others also exceed 2300 m. All wild species grow in tree shade and receive almost no sunlight. They usually grow among tree forks with a layer of leaf litter and moss. Because of the moss and leaf litter, the plant roots remain moist at all times (but because this layer is ventilated and breathable, they are not too wet). At the same time, the air humidity in this area is very high, which is very favorable for the growth and reproduction of the monkey face orchid.
The monkey face orchid is relatively popular in Western countries. It is easy to cultivate and can be grown by referring to the cultivation methods for Phalaenopsis. Since the flower stalk emerges from the base of the stem, to facilitate the extension of the flower stalk, hanging baskets or net baskets should be used for cultivation, with bark chunks, moss, charcoal, fern roots, etc. as the substrate. When caring for it, note the following:
It grows well in a humid, shaded, ventilated and cool environment. When the temperature is above 28°C, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off, and the plant may even die. In most parts of China, whether outdoors in a garden, on a balcony, on a roof or at a window, attention should be paid to cooling in summer, while ensuring good ventilation and maintaining appropriate humidity. When it is too hot in summer, use a shade net to control light, or place it indoors in a cool spot to lower the temperature. When new shoots are approaching maturity, let them receive more sunlight and appropriately reduce watering, but they must not be allowed to dry out. This makes it easier for new plants to produce flower buds, and then lower the temperature to promote flowering.
The monkey face orchid is relatively afraid of rain. If the rainy period is too long, water accumulation in the pot can easily cause root rot and death. During the growing season, it also dislikes dry roots. When watering, observe the substrate: as soon as the substrate in the pot is dry, water promptly, and water thoroughly each time. It is best to water in the morning on a sunny day. During the high-temperature period of midsummer, water once in the morning and once in the evening. During flower bud development, in addition to watering, appropriately spray a little water on the flower buds. During the flowering period, pay attention to watering, avoid alternating dry and wet conditions, and prevent rain exposure. After flowering, control watering and water only when dry; it should not be too wet. Winter and spring are a semi-dormant period of sluggish growth, when watering should be even less, about once a week, keeping the substrate in a slightly moist state. When the temperature is below 10°C, stop watering to avoid both cold and wet conditions, which can cause root rot. However, during the overwintering period, the indoor air must not be allowed to become dry; water must be sprinkled on the floor, and the room temperature should be kept above 10°C.
April to October is the main growth and development period of the monkey face orchid. Because the plant is clustered and its stems are very luxuriant, it needs relatively little fertilizer, but reasonable fertilization can still make the plant grow more robust and produce more flowers. Therefore, during the new shoot growth stage, fertilize once every half month. You can use "Huabao" original fertilizer diluted 2000-3000 times, or other special orchid fertilizers, applied by root watering and foliar spraying. Note that the amount of fertilizer should not be large and the concentration must not be high, otherwise it will cause difficulty in water uptake and may even cause the death of the whole plant. During the vegetative growth period, nitrogen fertilizer and balanced fertilizer are mainly used. A mixed fertilizer with an N:P:K ratio of 30:10:10 and 20:20:20 is recommended. During the flower bud differentiation period, a mixed fertilizer with an N:P:K ratio of 10:30:10 and 20:20:20 is recommended. The best time to fertilize is in the evening, followed by watering once with clear water early the next morning. At the same time, during the flower bud stage, spray 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate once every other week to promote thick and strong flower spikes and bright flowers.
To propagate new plants, division can be carried out in spring when repotting. Turn out a large plant that has already filled the pot, clean the root substrate, and use a sharp knife to cut apart a clump with 3-5 stems between its connected rhizomes. After pulling it apart by hand, transplant the divided seedlings into a pot with new cultivation substrate. You can also sow mature seeds after flowering in autumn or spring. When the seedlings grow true leaves, pay attention to transplanting and separating the seedlings; they can bloom in 2-3 years. Cuttage is also possible: cut off young stems and insert them in sphagnum moss, where they root easily. In addition, because the plant can produce creeping stems at the rhizome, rooted stem sections can be cut off and potted separately. For large-scale production, seedlings can be obtained through tissue culture.
The monkey face orchid has relatively few disease occurrences, but fungicides should occasionally be applied preventively, usually once a month. Common diseases include brown spot disease, anthracnose, southern blight, tip blight, root rot, etc. Brown spot disease mostly occurs in warm and humid conditions, so more attention should be paid to ventilation and avoiding high temperature and high humidity. Once it occurs, you can use special orchid fungicide Lanbing Bizhi, or 50% procymidone-mancozeb wettable powder 1500-3000 times solution, 70% chlorothalonil wettable powder 600-800 times solution and other agents in rotation for control. In severe cases, first prune the diseased leaves and spray 800 times orchid-specific fungicide once every 10 days, for 3 consecutive sprays.
After anthracnose, southern blight, tip blight and root rot occur, cut off the infected tissue and burn it, and maintain good ventilation and light. Control agents include orchid disease-specific wettable powder, thiophanate-methyl wettable powder, chlorothalonil wettable powder, etc., used alternately. In the early stage of the disease, spray 800 times orchid-specific fungicide. If the disease is severe, you can spray a mixture of 1000 times orchid-specific fungicide + 75% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder 1000 times solution, once every 10-15 days, for a total of 3-4 sprays.
The main pests include scale insects, red spiders, aphids, etc. For pest control, you can choose special orchid insecticides such as Penchongjue, Chongbisha, Chongkejing, etc. at 1000-2000 times solution for spraying and killing.