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Saturday, April 7, 2012

Aerangis biloba

     Aerangis biloba will grow very well in South Florida's sub-tropical climate as a mounted plant just as it grows in the wild.  It is no different than any other Angraecoid.  Give it the specific requirements it needs and it will become a specimen plant in 3 - 4 years with numerous inflorescence's and flowers.
     It will grow and flower with the plant being in a bright shaded area and can take some spackled light throughout the day.  During the late spring into early fall, while temperatures are in the eighties, you should water the plant everyday.   Make sure that the plant has a slight cross breeze to help dry it out by the end of the day.  If it is drying out to soon, mist the plant later in the afternoon.  When temps start to drop and are consistently in the sixties lower seventies, back off the watering to ever 3 days.  Move the plant inside or cover it when temperatures drop to below 55 degrees.
     The plant should be fertilized once a week and treated with a fungicide every 4 - 6 weeks (use a systemic fungicide, keeping a topical readily available for minor issues).
     New plants will start to develop at the base of the mature plant after it blooms the first time.  With the proper care, you can have a specimen plant rather quickly.
     As the plant matures and the roots grow longer, attached the mounted plant to a larger piece of material so that the roots have something to attach to.
     A. biloba can be grown in a pot.  However the watering should be every 4 -5 days with everything else staying the same.  It can also be grown in the cooler climates up north and be kept in a north facing window during the winter and cooler months.  Move the plant outside in warmer months.
     You will enjoy flowers between September and Feburary. 

Aerangis biloba
      
     Aerangis biloba comes from Western Africa (Senegal east to Cameroon).  It grows as an epiphyte in woodland thickets, forest canopies, village trees and often found in plantation crops.  It can be found at sea level to about 2,300 feet (700 meters).
     The stem of A. biloba can reach up to 8 inches (20cm) and is woody.  Its leaves are a dark green when the plant is younger and eventually develop black dots as the plant matures (there can be a small amount of black dots on younger plants).  Leaves are usually about 6 1/2 inches long (18cm) and will be 1 1/8 (3cm) to 2 1/4 (6cm) wide.  The leaves are bilobed at the ends with a slight sinus between the ends. 
     Inflorescence's are pendent and will vary in length, 4 - 16 inches (10 - 40cm) long.  They will produce 8 - 20 flowers that alternate down the length of the inflorescence.  They are white and often have a pink or brown tint in the pedicel and the spur which is about 2 inches (5 - 6cm) long.