Green ribbed leaves Macodes petola
Jewel orchid in pot
Young jewel orchid with green ribbed leaves in pot
Green, shaded and ribbed leaves of Macodes petola orchid
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Macodes petola, the jewel orchid with emerald foliage
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Native to Okinawa, Vietnam and the Philippines, Macodes petola grows in the shade of trees in low-altitude forests. Nicknamed the jewel orchid because of its decorative foliage, it has become a houseplant in our latitudes.
How to recognize the Macodes petola jewel orchid?
Macodes petola is a terrestrial orchid. It grows above ground along a creeping rhizome. Outside flowering periods, it grows to no more than 20 centimetres in height.
Blades grow in a spiral along a short stem. Each shoot can support up to eight leaves. Larger than those of other jewel orchids, such as ludisia discolor and anoectochilus chapaensis, they measure ten centimetres long and five centimetres wide. The evergreen foliage has the appearance of velvet and the color of emeralds. The green limbs are adorned with golden patterns that follow the veins.
In its natural habitat, the Macodes petola jewel orchid blooms in autumn. Indoors, it blooms at any time. Pale-green flowers, barely two centimetres long, bloom along a long floral spike. The phenomenon lasts just a few days.
Macodes petola is not a toxic plant. It presents no danger to humans or animals, even when ingested.
Our maintenance tips
Unlike Phalaenopsis, macodes petola are terrestrial varieties. They need a draining substrate and regular watering. But be careful not to drown their roots!
Watering
If you're worried about drowning the root system, water your Macodes petola from below.
Get a container larger and wider than your Macodes petola pot. Pour in room-temperature, non-calcareous water, such as recycled rainwater.
Place your plant and its pot in the water-filled container, with the liquid halfway up. Wait at least fifteen minutes. Once all the potting soil has been soaked, return your Macodes petola to its place.
Spray
In addition to regular watering, misting prevents the plant from drying out due to heat in summer and heating in winter.
Macodes petola do not like hard water. Preferrainwater or filtered water.
Repotting
In spring, transfer your Macodes petola to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.
Macodes petola are rhizomatous plants. They develop their root system on the surface and lengthwise.
Your Macodes petola will thrive best in a pierced, cup-shaped pot, wider than it is tall. If possible, choose a transparent model to check the condition and development of the roots. Once the rhizomes have colonized the container, it's time to repot.
Cover your pot with a layer of substrate. You can use potting soil for green plants with a little perlite, or create your own mixture. In this case, opt for a combination of peat moss and perlite or sphagnum moss, pine bark and leaf compost.
Place your Macodes petola in the center and fill with substrate.
Fertilization
You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.
To promote the growth and flowering of your Macodes petola, you can apply a potassium-rich fertilizer, such as an orchid fertilizer.
Prune
After flowering, cut off the spent flowers. You can do this by hand, or use a clean, sharp tool such as a pair of scissors or pruning shears.
Cutting
Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.
Using a clean, sharp tool, remove a stem about ten centimetres long.
Plant your graft in a container adapted to its size. To encourage root growth, we recommend a saucer-shaped pot with holes, wider than it is tall.
Fill the pot with potting soil for green plants, mixed with perlite. You can replace the potting soil with peat moss, or use a mixture of leaf compost, sphagnum moss and pine bark.
Place your seedling in the center and top with the substrate.
Place your seedling in the center and top with the substrate.
Disease / Threat
Information
| Family | Orchids - Orchidaceae |
| Type | Jewel orchid - Macodes |
| Species | Macodes petola - Macodes petola |
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Exposure | |
| Substrat | |
| Planting method |
In pots |
| Categories | |
| Tag |
Flowery |
| Origin |
Southeast Asia |
| Hardiness (USDA) | 12a |
| Leaf color |
|
| Flower color |
|
Discover plants from the same family
