Psilochilus
(pronounced: sye-low-KYE-luss)
Classification
Triphoreae
Overview
Terrestrials with trailing stems rooting at the nodes. Roots fleshy, villose. Leaves few, sessile with sheathing leaf bases. Inflorescences terminal, sequentially few-flowered racemes, with subfoliaceous floral bracts. Flowers cupped, ephemeral. Sepals and petals free, spreading. Lip three-lobed, clawed, with central raised keels. Column elongate-slender, arching, with apical wings, the rostellum absent; pollinia powdery-granular.
Distribution
A genus of seven species ranging from Guatemala to Brazil and the West Indies.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow Psilochilus in a terrestrial or seedling-grade mixture in shallow bulb pans. Provide medium to low light levels, intermediate to warm temperatures, and steady watering throughout the year. Although subjected to a slightly drier season in nature, cultivated plants of Psilochilus should be kept evenly, lightly moist at all times.
Literature
Ames, O. 1922. A triandrous form of Psilochilus macrophyllus. Orchidaceae 7:45-48.
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