''Broughtonia sanguinea'', also known as blood red broughtonia
is a plant in the genus ''
Broughtonia'', a member of the family
Orchidaceae
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
. It was named in 1813 by its first describer,
Robert Brown, for 18th century English botanist
Arthur Broughton.
Description
''Broughtonia sanguinea'' is a species native to
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. Its small, egg-shaped and compact
pseudobulb
The pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed heteroblastic and ...
s measure from 2.5 to 5
centimeters in size. On the top of each pseudobulb, there are two long leaves.
[ The leaves have a hard texture and do not break easily, and measures to be about wide.][ The flower spikes grow to ][ and produces long, clustered red flowers ][ in size. The spikes are able to bloom for several months and the plant is able to bloom twice per year or more.][
]
Flowers
The flowers are typically red and flower in the late winter to spring and a hint of yellow at the base. The flowers are produced on long arching spikes (inflorescences) that emerge from the top of the pseudobulbs. Each spike bears up sixteen or more flowers. Plants prefer comparatively warm to hot growing conditions (25 - 35 Celsius) and about 70% humidity and brightly lit conditions of approximately 25,000 - 30,000 lux.
Distribution
''Broughtonia sanguinea'' are found in Jamaica from 0 to 800 meters.
Habitat and ecology
In nature, this plant is found growing in a wide range that is tolerant to varying light conditions. Near the shore it often is found in trees growing on limestone soils. In areas of higher rainfall it grows high up on branches on trees such as the Guango.
Care
This plant can grow from from a 430-watt son agro bulb.[ Plants should be mounted on ]treefern
The tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae (scaly tre ...
or cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
and prefer dry outs between waterings. It is best to use distilled water. Overwatering can cause several problems such as root rot and infectious bacteria/fungus in the potting medium. Provide high humidity and good air circulation. This plant does best under fluorescent or sodium lights for artificial light culture. This plant as well as its hybrids are susceptible to pesticides, and they can stop growing and defoliate rapidly. Allowing the plant to grow again is difficult, and they may sit around for about a year or two before doing anything, if they do not die first from gradual dehydration. This plant blooms when young and often will flower in a pot.
Gallery
File:Broughtonia sanguinea - Curtis' 58 (N.S. 5) pl.3076 (1831).jpg, ''Broughtonia sanguinea''
File:Broughtonia sanguinea Orchi 002.jpg, ''Broughtonia sanguinea''
File:Broughtonia sanguinea var. aureum Orchi 001.jpg, ''Broughtonia sanguinea var aureum''
File:Bro sang Peaches.jpg, ''Broughtonia sanguinea - peach colored variety''
References
External links
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4975853
Laeliinae
Flora of Jamaica
Flora without expected TNC conservation status