Jewel Orchid (Ludisia Discolor) Profile
Jewel Orchid (Ludisia Discolor) is 8 -18 cm tall. The rhizome of Jewel Orchid is prostate, elongate, fleshy, nodular, rooting at nodes. The stem of Jewel Orchid is erect, fleshy, terete, with 2-4 leaves. Leaf-blade is ovoid or ovate, above dark purple or dark purple, with golden red with silk-lustrous beautiful net veins, abaxially purplish red. Racemes are with 2-6 flowers, 3-5 cm long; Flowers are white or reddish, not inverted (labellum located above); Sepals are abaxially pilose, middle sepals ovate, concave navicular; Petals are thin, nearly sickle-shaped.
Jewel Orchid was born under evergreen broad-leaved forests or in wet places of gullies at an altitude of 50-1600 m. China, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, India, Bhutan to Nepal, Bangladesh also have distribution.
Jewel Orchid Picture
Jewel Orchid Morphological Characteristics
Jewel Orchid Stems
The plants of Jewel Orchid are 8 -- 18 cm tall. Rhizome is prostate, elongate, fleshy, nodular, rooting at nodes. Stem is rect, fleshy, terete, with (2-) 3-4 leaves.
Jewel Orchid Leaf
The leaves of Jewel Orchid are ovate or ovate, 1.3-3.5 cm long and 0.8-3 cm wide, with dark purple or dark purple above, golden-red with beautiful silk-silk reticulate veins, abaxially pale purplish red, apex nearly acute or slightly obtuse, base nearly truncated or rounded, and suddenly narrow into a stalk. Petiole is 4 -- 10 mm long, base enlarged into an enveloping sheath.
Jewel Orchid Flowers
Jewel Orchid has a raceme of 2-6 flowers, 3 -- 5 cm long; Inflorescence rachis are pale red, both pedicels pilose, pedicels with 2-3 sheathed bracts; Bracts are reddish, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 6 -- 9 x 3 -- 5 mm, apex long acuminate, ca. 2/3 of ovary length; Ovary is long terete, not torsion, pilose, pedicels 1-1.3 cm long; jewel orchid flower are white or reddish, not inverted (labellum located above); Sepals of Jewel Orchid are abaxially pilose, middle sepals ovate, concave navicular, ca. 6 mm long, 2.5 -- 3 mm wide, apex acuminate, adherent to petals cucumiform; Lateral sepals are spreading, obliquely sub oblong or oblong-elliptic, 7 -- 8 mm long, 2.5 -- 3 mm wide, apex slightly acute. (Read more about Jewel Orchid Flower)
Jewel Orchid Petals
The petals of the Jewel Orchid are thin, nearly sickle-shaped, and as long as the middle sepals. Lip ca. is 12 mm long, Y, base conical distance, the front of crack expanding and 2, the lobes nearly oblong or nearly cuneate oblong, ca. 6 mm long, 1.5 2 mm wide, margin entire, apex obtuse, central narrow grow 4-5 claw, on both sides of the each article 6-8 4-6 mm long fimbriate fine crack, from 5 to 6 mm long, up to lip, terminal 2 shallow crack, the inside of the near distance mouth 2 pieces of the meat of the corpus callosum; The stamen is short, ca. 2.5 mm long, with 1 broad, flakelike appendage on each side of the front; Anthers of Jewel Orchid are ovate, 4 mm long; Stamens are beak erect, forked 2-lobed; Jewel Orchid has 2 stigmas, free, located on both sides of the base of the pistil beak.
Jewel Orchid Natural Habits
Jewel Orchid was born under evergreen broad-leaved forests or in wet places of gullies at an altitude of 50-1600 m.
Jewel Orchid is shade loving, avoid direct sunlight, like wet, avoid dry, 15℃ to 30℃ is the best growth. Poor growth above 35℃. Cold temperature below 5℃ will affect its growth, when the orchid is often in a dormant state.If the temperature is too high and the sun is exposed to the sun, the leaves will burn or scorch within a day or two. If the temperature is too low and does not transfer into the house in time, there will be frostbite.
Jewel Orchid is a fleshy root, which is suitable for sandy loam rich in humus. Jewel Orchids must have good drainage performance, and leaf rot soil or mountain soil with more humus should be selected. Slightly acidic loose soil or soil containing iron, pH value of 5.5-6.5 is appropriate.
How to grow and care for Jewel Orchid
Jewel Orchid Soil Care
Jewel Orchid is best in a humid environment, and no excess moisture can be found in the soil. When planting, it is best to use a mixture of leaf rot soil, peat soil and sand.
Jewel Orchid Lighting Requirements
In the maintenance of the attention of shading, it can not be strong sun exposure, spring and winter when there is strong light to appropriate shade, summer shading 70%, so as not to burn the plant strong light.
Jewel Orchid Watering
Usually to give Jewel Orchid a humid environment, especially in autumn and summer, to timely spray moisture, but the amount of water in the basin soil can not be too much. In spring and autumn can be 2-3 days a water, summer can spray water every day, winter can be extended to 5 days a water.
Jewel Orchid Temperature Care
Jewel Orchid should be kept at a temperature of 25-30℃, and cooling measures should be taken in summer when the temperature is higher than 35℃. In winter, it needs to be placed indoors and kept warm. If the temperature is lower than 20℃, it may be frostbitten.
Jewel Orchid Fertilizer
Jewel Orchid should be properly fertilized. Do not apply high concentration of fertilizer to it as it is easy to cause fertilizer damage. Spring can be applied at an interval of half a month of compound fertilizer, 2-3 times in a row it will grow very strong.
Jewel Orchid Repotting
Repot Jewel Orchid when the pot is overcrowded or if it starts to become wobbly and top-heavy. These orchids tend to spread out rather than grow tall, so their roots don't need a deep pot. Instead where you can opt for a shallow and wide pot.
Jewel Orchid Propagation
Jewel Orchid Division Propagation
In spring and autumn can be carried out, generally every three years a plant. Any plant with strong growth and dense pseudo corms can be divided, and at least 5 connected pseudo corms should be stored in each cluster after division. Before planting, reduce irrigation water, so that the basin soil is more than. After planting, cover the bottom hole of the pot with broken tiles, then lay coarse stones, which account for 1/5 to 1/4 of the depth of the pot, then put coarse-grained soil and a small amount of fine soil, and then plant with sandy loam rich in humus. Planting depth to the false corm just buried in the soil strength, basin edge to leave 2 cm along the mouth, spread Cui Yun grass or fine stones, finally pouring permeable, shady place for 10-15 days, keep the soil moist, gradually reduce watering, normal maintenance.
Jewel Orchid Seed propagation
The seed of Jewel Orchid is very thin, and there is only one incomplete embryo in the seed, so its germinating ability is very low. Besides, the seed coat is not easy to absorb water, so it cannot germinate by conventional sowing methods. Therefore, Jewel Orchid fungus or artificial medium is needed to supply nutrients for germination. Planting fruit had better choose not cracking, surface with 75% alcohol after sterilization, remove the seeds, soaking with 10% sodium hypochlorite for 5-10 minutes, take out three times with sterile water rinse again can play in the cultivation of the bottle containing medium, and dark in the pure, the temperature about 25 c, stirring and then moved to the light that can form the original bulb. From sowing to transplanting, it takes half a year to a year. Tissue culture has been successful and can be propagated by this method where conditions permit.
Jewel Orchid Disease & Pest Control
Disease control
Damping off
It is mainly caused by Fusarium. The yellow brown water spots appear at the base of the stem of the sick Jewel Orchid seedlings, which quickly develop to a circle around the stem, and the tissue of the sick department rots, dries up and shrinks in a linear form. The rapid development of the disease, rapid seedling collapse death, cataplexy phenomenon.
Soft rot
It is a bacterial disease, mainly affecting the petiole of the middle and lower inner stem and leaf near the surface. At the beginning of the disease, it is difficult to detect. In the middle stage, brown necrotic spots appear outside the epidermis of the stem base about 3cm, and brown wet rot appears on the leaf veins. The middle and lower leaves of the Jewel Orchid are yellow, wilting under high temperature, and the late performance is that the whole Jewel Orchid is wilting and withered, standing upright but not inverted, and it is broken by hand.
Pest control
① mollusks Snails and slugs
Eating Jewel Orchid soft tissues such as root tip and tender bud will seriously affect the growth.
② Red spiders and mites
Adults and nymphs absorb juice on the Jewel Orchid leaves, causing yellow dots to appear on the damaged leaf surface, serious yellow withered coke, until falling off, the plant dies.
③ Little ground tiger
The third instar larva ate the heart leaves and leaves of Jewel Orchid in a small groove or mesh shape, and the third instar larva bit off the young stem of Jewel Orchid near the ground, resulting in ridges of missing seedlings.
(4) Mole
The root and stem of the seedlings are eaten in the soil, and the head is broken in a tangled shape, causing the seedlings to die, and the soil surface channeling into many uplift tunnels, so that the roots of the seedlings and soil separation, water loss and death.
Jewel Orchid Uses
Jewel Orchid medicinal value
Jewel Orchid can clear heat and cool blood, detoxify and detumescence, moisten lung and relieve cough. Jewel Orchid is used for hemoptysis, cough, phlegm and asthma, urination pain, thirst, chyluria, children acute convulsion, mouth sores, heart disease, snake bite.
Gaeden use
Jewel Orchid bonsai is suitable for bedrooms, offices, etc. It is not only for viewing, but also for eating. Jewel Orchids are a fine gift for leaders, relatives and friends.
Jewel Orchid is a small plant with beautiful leaves and strong negative tolerance. It can be planted in a small pot for indoor desk decoration. Jewel Orchid can also be used to decorate stone bonsai.