Thecostele alata [Roxb.]

Description:  Found from Bangladesh, Myanamar, Thailand, Malayasia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, Sumatra and the Philippines in evergreen in semi-deciduous and deciduous dry lowland forests and savana-like woodlands at elevations of sealevel to 1800 meters as a small sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte occuring in lowland and lower montane forests with clustered, ovoid to ellipdsoidal, compressed, unifoliate, deeply sulcate pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, thinly coriaceous, arcuate, linear-lancelate, to elliptic-obovate, acute leaf with a grooved stalk that blooms on a pendant, laxly 20 to 40 flowered, slender, flexuous, branching inflorescence arising from the base of the mature, often leafless pseudobulb with small, elliptic-lanceolate floral bracts with short lived, yet successively opening so they last for months, flowers occuring in the early spring as new growths appear.
Picture

Photorights: Cedric Jancloes

  • Size:  pseudobulbs wide oval,  3 - 3.5 cm long, 18-25 cm long blade into the groove as a bouquet of flowers dangling length 20-35 cm full width. Flowers 1.2 cm.
  • Collector/Witnesses:  Sok vichea / Frontier (Sp. T4465)
  • Year Collected:  2014
  • Growing Media:  wood/pot
  • Flowering Period:  May - July
  • Color:  sepals and petals yellow-green and white, with brownish purple marking, lip white with dark pink marks.
  • Water:  1 – 2 time daily
  • Light:  shade – bright light
  • Temperature:  10 - 29°C
Notes:
The inflorescence lengthen as the flowers open and new ones arise. The process can take 2 to 3 months. The cute, insect-like flowers are slightly scented. Water copiuosly and fertilize often as the new growths arise and grow.
But as they mature in late summer and early fall it is best to slowly decrease the water and fertilizer until none is given for a month towards the end of the winter. During this time the leaves may turn yellow and fall.