Sarcochilus ceciliae F. Muell. 1865 SECTION Calcares
Photo courtesy of Andy's Orchids Copyright © 2002 All rights reserved.
Photo by © Eric Hunt
LATE and
Common Name Cecillia Viennot van Masseyk's Sarcochilus [Australian Orchid Enthusiast] - In Australia Fairy Bells
Flower Size 1/4 to 3/8" [4 mm to 1 cm]
This is a miniature sized, cool to warm growing lithophyte [or occasional epiphyte] occuring on rocks or cliffsides in shady rainforests with leaf litter or moss or fairly open forests in exposed conditions occuring in the east coast of Australia in Queensland and New South Wales at elevations of 150 to 900 meters that keeps it's silver white roots above the media, and grows on vertical rock faces where it survives with occasional rains and is a drier growing Sarcochilus. They have a short stem carrying 4 to 10, narrowly linear to narrowly lanceolate leaves that are often mottled with brown that blooms on an axillary, erect, racemose, 8" [20 cm] long, few to several [3 to 15] flowered, inflorescence that is longer than the leaves, occuring in the late spring and summer with fragrant flowers opening in succession. The key to proper culture of this species is keeping the plants roots from becoming too wet, and to this end this species is better mounted, given high humidity, moderate light, good air circulation and moderate waterings with a slight drying out period before repeating. Water and fertilize often while groewing in the spring and summer and lessen as the growth stops in the fall and winter.
Synonyms Sarcochilus ceciliae var. eriochilus (Fitzg.) Dockrill 1996; Sarcochilus eriochilus Fitzg. 1891; Thrixspermum ceciliae Rchb.f 1871
References phragboiserianum.htm
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 4 1966; Orchids of Australia Nicholls 1969 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 51 No 12 1982 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 22 1329 - 1392 Brieger 1989 drawing ok; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #2 1997 photo fide; Austrailian Orchid Review Vol 65 No 5 2000 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 2 2003 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 68 No 2 2003 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 3 2004 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 71 No 5 2006 photo; Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006 photo fide; Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006 as S eriochilus photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 76 #3 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #12 2016 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 82 #3 2018 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #11 2019 photo fide;
Sarcochilus ceciliae F. Muell. var. albus 1865
Photo courtesy of David Banks - Australia Copyrighted ©
A white form of the prvious species.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------