Peristeria
(pronounced: payr-ee-STAYR-ee-ah)
Classification
Maxillarieae subtribe Stanhopeinae
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Overview
Caespitose epiphytes and terrestrials. Pseudobulbs large, ovoid-globose. Leaves several, lanceolate, plicate, petiolate. Inflorescences few to many-flowered racemes, erect to laxly pendent, produced with the new growth, the floral bracts minute. Flowers globose, fleshy. Sepals subsimilar, variously fused at the base. Petals free. Lip complexly three-lobed, articulated to the column foot. Column arching, fleshy, stout, with a long fleshy foot; pollinia 2, oblanceolate, deeply sulcate, sessile on a common viscidium.
Distribution
A genus of about 15 species from Panama to Peru.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow Peristeria in large pots in a coarse epiphyte mixture supplemented with a sizeable percentage of moisture-retaining components. Provide medium bright light levels, intermediate to warm temperatures and steady watering throughout the year. Peristerias are heavy feeders and require high levels of fertilizer when in active growth. Most species, and especially P. elata, flower best when pot-bound.
Literature
Hawkes, A. D. 1965. Die Gattung Peristeria. Die Orchidee 16:26-29.
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