Chiloglottis truncata - Blooming size tuber - Bare root

Chiloglottis (Myrmechila) is a bizarre genus of Australian terrestrial orchid. They are small and have truly weird flowers that stand out in any orchid collection. They are easy to grow and require more water than many other Australian terrestrial orchids. Even when dormant, they benefit from a slightly damp environment.

Most Australian terrestrial orchids are SUMMER DORMANT - yes, summer, not winter. This makes their need for slightly cooler temps (<75 F) while growing much easier to maintain (we grow them in the same location that we grow our Habenaria during the spring and summer). They like bright light and can have dark and/or yellowing on their leaves as a result (look up in situ pictures - those leaves do not look so happy, but, wow, do they flower well!). We water 2-3 times a week to keep the medium slightly damp during the growing season.

These can be a little challenging to grow, but that is almost entirely because of the medium. They grow best in an extremely well-draining, mostly-inorganic medium that has some sort of healthy fungal and/or bacterial microenvironment to help aid the plant's growth since they have a very unimpressive root system.

At RustyExotics, we have a special medium containing inorganic components and composted, inoculated organic components to provide the microbial load these plants need. This medium works very well for many of our Australian Terrestrials, so we offer our medium for sale in our store to help grow these beautifully.

Photo captured by David Lochlin and modified for use by RustyExotics Orchids, Inc.