Ansellia africana also called as The African Ansellia, Leopard Orchid.
Synonyms:
Ansellia africana var. australis
Ansellia africana var. nilotica
Ansellia africana var. nilotica
Ansellia confusa
Ansellia congoensis
Ansellia gigantea
Ansellia gigantea subsp. nilotica
Ansellia gigantea var. nilotica
Ansellia humilis
Ansellia nilotica
Cymbidium sandersoni
It is a species of the genus Ansellia. This species was described by John Lindley in 1844.
Ansellia africana are discovered on the island of Bioko (Fernando Po) in West Africa, this extremely volatile orchid is now widespread throughout tropical Africa. There are reports of encountering it in northern Angola, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, northern Botswana, Namibia (South-West Africa), Sudan and South Africa. In the south of Africa, they meet in Natal, Swaziland and Transvaal, and Durban is the southernmost place where they were encountered. Although these plants meet in a variety of natural habitats, they usually grow in open wooded areas, in hot, dry areas below 700 m. In addition, they are also found in dense and more humid forests.
It is a highly variable, giant sized, robust species varying in size and flower color, which reaching a height of 50-120 cm. Ansellia africana blooms in late spring and summer with 10 to 100 fragrant flowers. The flowers have a strong, musky scent and are 2.5-3.0 cm in diameter. They are extremely variable in color, but usually have a yellow or greenish background with various brown and brown spots or dots. These markings can be dots of varying sizes, from small to large, and in some forms the whole flower can be almost dark brown. Other forms can have flowers only slightly marked, and there are those that do not have these markings and are purely yellow or yellowish-green.
Light:
Ansellia africana needs a light level of 25000-40000 lux. To bloom, the plants need a lot of bright light, but it should be filtered or dispersed, and the plants should be protected from the midday sun. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
It is a thermophilic plant, but requires cool nights during rest periods. In summer, the average day temperature is 25-26°C, night 18-19°C, with a daily amplitude of 7°C. The average winter temperature is 21°C at night, 9-11°C at night, with a daily amplitude of 10-11°C
Humidity:
Ansellia africana needs the humidity of 70-75% for most of the year, only up to 65% for 2-3 winter months.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Ansellia africana grows better when placed in a relatively large container, with excellent drainage, using a very loose, quickly draining excess water substrate, providing excellent air circulation. After watering the substrate must dry up quite quickly.
You can use medium granulation of fir bark or pieces of tree fern fiber with the addition of coarse pearlite and/or chopped sphagnum moss, which simultaneously increases the permeability of the substrate and allows the retention of moisture. The addition of charcoal helps to ensure permeability and prevents acidification.
The plants should be repotted immediately when the substrate begins to decompose or grow out of pots. If repotting is done at the time when new roots begin to appear, the plant will be accepted and rooted in the shortest possible time.
Watering:
Rainfall is low to moderate throughout the year with a slightly drier period in winter. The cultivated plants should often be watered during active growth, but excellent drainage should be ensured so that the substrate within the roots is not degraded or soggy.
Fertilizer:
During the active growth, the plant should be fertilized every week 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. From spring to mid-summer, you can use fertilizer enriched with nitrogen, then switching to phosphorus-enriched fertilizer in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Ansellia africana should be kept almost dry during the rest period to induce flowering. The amount of water in the winter should be reduced and allow the plants to dry well between waterings, but they can not remain completely dry for a long time. Occasional fogging in the early morning, between rare watering, it should protect plants against excessive drying and at the same time provide the necessary dry rest period. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated until new growths appear and a more abundant spring watering begins.