Ludisia
(pronounced: loo-DISS-ee-ah)
Classification
Cranichideae subtribe Goodyerinae
Overview
Trailing terrestrials. Stems succulent, rooting at the base, with the apices erect. Leaves petiolate, velvety, with contrasting colored venation. Inflorescences erect, terminal racemes. Flowers asymmetric. Sepals and petals free, the dorsal sepal and petals appressed forming a hood, the lateral sepals divergent. Lip saccate at the base, twisted, with the apex transversely lobed. Column club-shaped, twisted; pollinia 2, sessile on a common viscidium.
Distribution
A monotypic genus widespread from Southeast Asia to Indonesia.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow Ludisia in pots with a rich terrestrial mixture that includes moisture-retaining components. Provide medium light levels, warm temperatures, and steady watering throughout the year. Ludisia is the easiest of the so-called “jewel orchids” to grow and is quite adaptable as a house-plant without any special conditions.
Literature
Meindl, U. and O. Kiermayer 1987. Elektronenmikroskopischer Aspekt von Raphidenzellen der Orchidee Haemaria discolor. Phyton 26:157-164. Molisch, H. 1917. Das Plasmamosaik in den Raphidenzellen der Orchideen Haemaria und Anoectochilus. Sitz. Ber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math.-Nat. Wiss. Kl. 126:231-242. Watson, J. 1997. A foolproof orchids. Orchids 66(7):702-705.
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