Promenaea - Woolf Orchid Culture

Promennaea 

by John WWoolf 

Promeneia ‐ A Priestesss 

of Dodonia 

Promenaea ( Lindley 18843 

), a very rewarding r Geenus, 

The ch harming Jewe els of the Braazilian 

forest ts. 

Where theyy 

lie in the Orchidaceae 

: ‐ 

TRIBE MAXIILLARIEAE 

LYCASTE ALLLIANCE 

Anguloa, Biffrenaria, 

Lyccaste, 

Neomo oorea, Rudollfiella, 

Teusc cheria, 

Xylobium. 

MAXILLARIAA 

ALLIANCE 

Chrysocycnis, 

Cyrtidiumm, 

Maxillaria, Mormolyca, , Pityphyllum m, 

Scuticaria, SSepalosaccuss, 

Trigonidium. 

ZYGOPETALLUM 

ALLIANCCE 

Acacallis, Agganisia, 

Bateemannia, 

Bollea, 

Cheiradenia, 

Chondrorhyncha, 

Cochleanthes 

C s, Colax, Gale eottia, 

Huntleya, KKollensteinia, 

, Kefersteinia a, Manadenium, 

Neogard dneria, Otostylis, 

Pabstiaa, 

Paradisianthus, 

Pescatoria, Promenaea, , Stenia, War reella, Zygoppetalum, 

Zygosepalum. 

The Speciess 

Promenaea is a Genus oof 

some 15 Species 

from the moist fo orests of Braz zil, Pabst & DDungs 

placed d them in 

three sectioons 

; 

The Promennaea 

rollinsoonii 

section, 

lentiginosa, , riograndenssis 

and rollinsonii 


xanthinna 

section, 

acuminata, albescens, ccatharinensis 

s, dusenii, fuerstenbergia 

ana, guttata, malmquistiaana, 

microte era, 

ovatiloba, pparanensis, 

xxanthina. 


stapeliooides 

section n, 

stapelioidess. 

We have beeen 

line breeeding 

the spe ecies stapeliooides 

and xanthina 

for a few generattions 

and this s has 

resulted in ssome 

fine cloones 

and som me unusual ccolour 

variat tions. Also se elfings have been made of o as many 

of the speciies 

that we hhave 

been ab ble to locate. . Not enough h work has been 

done in this area, many 

of the 

species still nigh on imppossible 

to fin nd in Nurserries 

and priva ate collection ns. 

Hybridizing Promenaeass 

are relative ely easy to hyybridize 

and will normally 

give plentyy 

of viable se eed, until 

you move innto 

the interr 

generics wh here you cann 

get little via able seed and 

some crossses 

produce seedlings 

that can be very difficult 

to grow. However 

the rresults 

can be b well worth h the persevverance. 

It should bee 

noted fromm 

the outset that t P. stapeelioides 

can be b a difficult subject to grow, 

so whe en using as a 

parent avoid 

other sloww 

or hard to grow g parentss. 

You will nottice, 

in our breeding 

prog gram, we usee 

P. stapelioides 

and its progeny p as a base, this is s due mainly 

to the Austrralian 

Judginng 

System wh here there iss 

a tendency to favour 'It's 

got to be bbig, 

round an nd filled‐in' 

attitude ratther 

than takking 

into consideration 

thhe 

Species in nvolved in the 

hybrid as iss 

done in the e USA. 

© 201 11 Woolf Orcchid 

Culture. Not to be re eproduced wwithout 

expre ess permission 

from the AAuthor. 

Woolf f Orchid Cultture. 

PO BOXX 

6018, Toow woomba Wesst 

4350. www w.woolforchidculture.com

However with 

the changge 

to the Appreciation 

mmethod 

of Judging 

in Aust tralia perhapps 

this will ch hange and 

due recognition 

will be given to the attributes oof 

the species s. 

In flask theyy 

seem to groow 

on almos st any mediaa 

and straight 

Promenaea a hybrids groow 

very quickly, 

do not 

allow them to stagnate in flask, if th hey run out oof 

nutrients and a stop growing 

they wwill 

be more difficult d to 

deflask. It iss 

best to get them out of f flask whilst they are still 

in active growth 

and noot 

necessarily 

to the top 

of of the flaask. 

We deflask into Compotts, 

fill pot to one third wwith 

Styrofoam m pebbles with w the next one third fre esh 

sphagnum ppressed 

in firrm. 

Plants ar re carefully rremoved 

from m flask, all agar 

washed aaway 

then th he seedlings 

are placed oon 

top of thee 

sphagnum. . Use a pot oof 

similar wid dth as the flask, 

we don't place any sp phagnum 

around the seedlings. Place 

compot t into a shadyy, 

well ventil lated and mo oist area. Seeedlings 

usually 

take root 

in a few dayys 

and light ffertilizing 

can n be given. 

Seedlings caan 

stay in thee 

compots until 

they bloom 

or you can 

move the em to single ppots 

once th hey have 

settled dowwn 

and starteed 

new grow wth. 

Potting Meddia 

We have ussed 

the followwing 

mixes all a with goodd 

results, the media must t drain freelyy 

whilst retaining 

some 

moisture. Plants 

should be repotted d every two yyears 

as they y do not like sour pottingg 

media. 

Fresh Sphaggnum, 

Compposted 

Bark, Styrofoam & Peat and Perlite 

& Peat t. 

Light 

Promenaeas 

prefer a seemi‐shaded 

area, a the plants 

will soon n let you know 

if they aree 

receiving to oo much 

light, they turn 

light greey 

in colour. 

Air Movemeent 

This is a muust, 

you will ssave 

yourself f a lot of dolllars 

in Fungic cide/Bacteric cide if you geet 

the air mo ovement 

right. Next ttime 

you visiit 

the local park, 

stand unnder 

some trees 

and take 

note of thee 

gentle bree eze, this is 

what your pplants 

like. 

Water 

Water qualiity 

is most immportant, 

it must m be goood. 

You will need n to keep the plants & surroundin ng area 

moist. If youu 

use chelateed 

forms of fertilizer f youu 

will not nee ed to flush th he pots as offten, 

howeve er, you still 

need to repplace 

the air in the media a with new oxygen 

filled air by flushin ng occasionaally. 

Fertilizer 

We fertilizee 

with every wwatering, 

da aily during Suummer 

and every e third day 

during the 

colder months 

depending oon 

weather conditions. We W use Chelaated 

forms of o fertilizer at 

one fifth thhe 

reccomen nded rate. 

Pests 

Plants should 

be inspected 

regularly y for pests, eespecially 

Sna ails, Slugs an nd Mealybugg, 

and if any are a found 

appropriatee 

action takeen. 

Check wit th your local Nursery for the necessary 

treatmentt 

as products 

vary from 

State to Staate 

and Counntry 

to Count try. 

Disease 

The only prooblem 

we haave 

seen is damping d off oof 

new grow wths, usually from f incorreect 

culture, if f a problem 

occurs, havee 

it properlyy 

diagnosed and a treat acccordingly. 

The Hybridss 

so far :‐ 

Again, theree 

have been very few Hy ybrids registeered, 

the cha arm, ease of culture and tthe 

spectacu ular sight of 






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specimen plants 

in 5 incch 

pots carry ying over 50 blooms, mak kes one wonder 

why theere 

have been 

so few 

Hybrids made. 

Chameleon ( Limelight x guttata ) 

Colmanianaa 

( xanthina x Crawshayana 

) 

Crawshayanna 

( xanthinaa 

x stapelioid des ) 

Dinah Allbriight 

( Normaan 

Gaunt x st tapelioides ) 

Florafest Chheetah 

( Sammsu 

x stapelio oides ) 

Florafest Goold 

( Samsu x xanthina ) 

Florafest Spparkler 

( Sammsu 

x Colman niana ) 

Kiwi Small WWorld 

( Normman 

Gaunt x Crawshayanna 

) 

Limelight ( oovatiloba 

x sstapelioides 

) 

Meadow Goold 

( Limelighht 

x xanthina a ) 

Norman Gaunt 

( Crawshhayana 

x stap pelioides ) 

Samsu ( Craawshayana 

xi 

rollinsonii ) 

Winelight ( Limelight x sstapelioides 

) 

The followinng 

are but a few in the pipeline 

as seeedlings 

& fla asks :‐ 

6757 Promeenaea 

Colmaaniana 

x stap pelioides 


Norman 

Gaunt (Cr rawshayana 'A' x stapelio oides ) 


Crawsshayana 

'E' x Florafest Spparkler 

'Pepp per Pot' 


Dinah Albright x Colmaniana 


Dinah Albright x sa ame 


Dinah Albright x st tapelioides " "WC' 


Floraffest 

Cheetah ( Samsu x sttapelioides) 


Floraffest 

Cheetah x stapelioidees 

'MM' 


Floraffest 

Sparkler 'Lime' x Crawwshayana 

'E' 


Kiwi Small 

World (Norman ( Gauunt 

x Crawsh hayana) 


Norman 

Gaunt 'Black 

Lip' x staapelioides 

'26 692' 


Norman 

Gaunt x Dinah D Albrighht 

'Very Colo ourful' 


Norman 

Gaunt x Florafest F Cheeetah 


Samsuu 

'Issy' x Craw wshayana 'B' 


Samsuu 

x (xanthina a x Norman GGaunt 

) 


stapellioides 

'Flora afest' x 'Yongg 

Gee' 


stapellioides 

'MM' x 'Crees' 


xanthina 

'Hynes' x 'Reis' 


xanthina 

‐ Norman n Gaunt 'a' x stapelioides s 


xanthina 

‐ Norman n Gaunt 'e' x Samsu 'Dark 

Lip' 


xanthina 

x ( xanthina 

x Norman 

Gaunt ) 

Intergenericc 

Hybrids. 

There has nnot 

been a grreat 

amount done in thiss 

area either, , there have been a few hhybrids 

made 

in the 

following Grexes, 

Alangreatwwoodara 

( Collax 

x Promen naea x Zygoppetalum 

) 

Kanzerara ( Promenaea x Chondrorh hyncha x Zyggopetalum 

) 

Masonara ( Promenaea x Aganisia x Batemanniaana 

x Colax x Otostylis x 

Zygopetalumm 

x Zygosepalum 

) 

Propetalumm 

( Promenaeea 

x Zygopetalum 

) 

Prolax ( Proomenaea 

x Coolax 

) 

Promenanthes 

( Cochleanthes 

x Pro omenaea ) 






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Here we aree 

using Propetalum 

Math hina extensivvely, 

it is a go ood grower and a blooms freely throughout 

the 

year. It is also 

interestinng 

to note that 

the short raceme of the 

Promenaea 

does not dominate with w 3‐5 large 

blooms carrried 

above thhe 

foliage, th he blooms beeing 

a biscuit t colour with h darker spottting. 

This, we w hope, 

when combbined 

with P. stapelioides s will producce 

reds & ora anges and wi ith P. xanthinna 

produce golds g and 

improve thee 

shape whilst 

retaining the t length off 

spike. 

Some of theese 

intergeneric 

crosses seem to groww 

well in flas sk, such as Hamelwellsar 

H ra June x P. stapelioides, 

s 

but once deeflasked 

are very loathe to t grow, outt 

of around 100 1 seedlings s deflasked oonly 

about 5 survived, 

let's hope thhey 

are all FCCC's. 

The followinng 

crosses arre 

coming on n as seedlinggs:‐ 

5356 Alangrreatwoodaraa 

Alan ‐ Zygo opetalum Perrrenoudii 

x Promenaea P Samsu S 

6008 Hamelwellsara 

Junne 

'35' x Prom menaea stappelioides 


Crawsshayana 

'A' x Zygopetalumm 

Artur Elle 'Essendon' AM‐AD/AOC 

A 


Floraffest 

Cheetah x Zygocolax Elfin Jade 'P Purple Heat' 


stapellioides 

x Zygo opetalum Tittanic 

'June' HCC H AOC 


rollinssonii 

var.willi iamsonii x Zyygocolax 

Elfin 

Jade 

6895 Propeetalum 

Mathina 

x Promen naea stapeliooides 


Mathina 

x Promen naea Crawshhayana 


Mathina 

x Promen naea xanthinna 

'Reis' 

PROMENAEEA 

crosses 20000 

(seedpod ds) 

Promenaea stapelioidess 

'MM' x Flor rafest Cheetaah 


'MM' x Sam msu 


'MM' x Zygopetalum 

Arrtur 

Elle ' Ess sendon ' 


'MM' x stap pelioides 'WCC' 


'FF' x Floraf fest Cheetahh 


'WC' x Norm man Gaunt 'GGoliath' 


WC' x Dinah 

Albright ' JJeannie' 

Promenaea Florafest Chheetah 

x Flor rafest Cheetaah 


x stap pelioides 'MMM' 


x stap pelioides 


x Nor rman Gaunt ' Leopard' 


x stap pelioides 'WCC' 


x stap pelioides 'FF'' 

Promenaea Samsu x Floorafest 

Cheet tah 

Promenaea Samsu x staapelioides 

'M MM' 

Promenaea Norman Gaunt 

'Goliath' 

x stapelioiddes 

'MM' 


'Lamingt ton' x stapelioides 

'MM' 


'Leopard d' x Florafestt 

Cheetah 'Sp pots' 

Promenaea Dinah Al briight 

x stapeli ioides 

Promenaea Dinah Albrigght 

x Dinah Albright A ' Flares' 

Promenaea Florafest Goold 

'Old Gold d' x Dinah Albbright 

'Jeann nie' 

Propetalumm 

Mathina x PPromenaea 

Florafest F Spaarkler 

'Very Spotted' S 

Propetalumm 



'Peppe er Pot' 

Propetalumm 


Dinah D Albrighht 

'Jeannie' 

Propetalumm 


Crawshayana 

C a 'Speckled Lime' L 

Propetalumm 



'Green n Gold' 

Propetalumm 


stapelioides s 'MM' 






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Propetalumm 


Florafest F Golld 

Propetalumm 

Mathina x CColax 

jugosus 

Have you reead 

Dr. Benjaamin 

Berline er's great artiicle 

in the De ecember 199 99 issue of "OOrchids" 

? 

I would like to thank Dr. 

Benjamin and 

Skippy Beerliner 

for th heir assistanc ce and for shharing 

their love of these 

super little Orchids withh 

us. 

Good Growwing, 

John T Wooolf 






PO BOXX

Promenaea - Woolf Orchid Culture

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