Description
This is a widely spread species in its native Japan and it is also found in both Korea and parts of China. Plants described from the Amani Islands within the Japanese Ryukyu Island chain have been described as Calanthe amamiana but are now accepted as a colour variety of C. discolor viz. C. discolor var amamiana.
Calanthe discolor amamiana has pale flowers which are said to be pale pink by Clayton and Cribb but they appear most frequently to have pale yellow sepals in horticulture in Japan. There does appear to be a great deal of colour variation within this species anyway with its wide geographical range. Recorded sepal colours for the whole species include yellow, green (var viridialba), russet and pink, lip colours are usually white or pale pink. Some colour forms have been propagated in horticulture and our stock of C. d. amamiana is one such. This selected form has a much more intense pink lip surrounded by pale gold sepals.
(The more typical and most well-known variety discolor has spikes of 2cm flowers with petals of olive-khaki, russet-brown or warm reddish-orange which form a hood around the cleft lip, which is usually white, although this can develop a pink tinge as it matures).
An easy and tolerant species which increases pleasingly and takes to garden conditions well, especially in more sheltered areas, out of direct burning sunlight (as with all of the hardy species). It also thrives under cool glass, if potted in leafy soil and kept shaded.
This is one of the best of the species to start growing the genus with.
for UK sales ONLY
NOT available for export to E.U., Japan, Norway, Switzerland, U.S.A. etc.
