风兰 (feng lan) China (N Fujian, S Gansu, SW Hubei, W Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang)
풍란 (pungnan) Korea
風蘭 (fūran) Japan (Honshu from the Kantō region westwards; Shikoku; Kyushu; and Ryukyu Islands.)
Traditional cultivated chimeric and monstrous forms in Japan are known under the name of 富貴蘭 (fūkiran).
Neofinetia falcata care neofinetia falcata in bloom 1080p
Description
Plants are 8–12 cm tall on monopodial stems of 1–6 cm. There are usually between 4 and 20 narrowly oblong-falcate (hence the epithet) leaves of 5–12 cm. that are leathery and sheathed at the base. The inflorescence, including flowers, is 5–8 cm. long, suberect, and carries as few as two, and as many as 10 fragrant, white flowers, each with a characteristic curved spur. 2n = 38.
Ecology
N. falcata usually grows as an epiphyte on the branches and trunks of deciduous trees. This means the plants receive high levels of light during the months of winter and early spring (2000~3600 fc.), an important factor in the number of blooms produced. The orchids grow at angles to the branches of their host, which allows water to drain away quickly after rains, thus avoiding bacterial rot. Numerous whitish roots grow from the base of the plant, anchoring it to its host and collecting nutrients washed down from above. These roots are accustomed to excellent air movement. An adult in an optimal situation will produce numerous offsets.
Within N. falcata's range summer temperatures average 26–31 °C. during the day and 18–23 °C. at night. Average humidity is 80–85% in summer, and about 75% during the rest of the seasons. Plants receive heaviest rainfall during East Asian rainy season: June and July in southern Japan. Blooming time is usually synchronized with the monsoon, although plants may very occasionally bloom as late as December.
Nomenclature and Taxonomy
The type species was introduced to the West from Japan by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1784, and named Orchis falcata. For the next hundred years and more, the species was renamed and moved in and out of many of the Asian sarcanthoid genera. Finally, in 1925 H. H. Hu created Neofinetia as a monotypic genus.
History of Cultivation
In pre-industrial Japan, samurai cultivated N. falcata.
Culture
N. falcata is a warm to cool grower. Plants may be mounted on slabs of cork or tree-fern fiber. In Japan, the custom is to grow them on a raised mound of sphagnum moss. The plants require a cool, bright winter rest, and frequent watering when in growth.
