Anoectochilus albolineatus ‘White Center’

Origin and horticultural background of Anoectochilus albolineatus ‘White Center’

The ‘White Center’ name is used in orchid cultivation under Anoectochilus siamensis, an older name for Anoectochilus albolineatus. Green and pink-gold forms have both appeared under this name. Its breeder and exact horticultural origin are unknown.

The species comes from shaded evergreen forests of mainland Southeast Asia, where it grows in humus and leaf litter between about 700 and 1,850 m.

Care for Anoectochilus albolineatus ‘White Center’

• Light for the pale centre: Keep the plant in soft indirect light. Filtered window light suits the pale centre. If using a grow light, keep the setting low.
• Watering: Check the shallow mix often. When the top is only slightly moist, water evenly and let extra water run out of the pot.
• Humidity and leaf drying: Keep the air moderately humid. In an enclosed display, provide gentle airflow so splashes and condensation dry promptly.
• Temperature: Warm indoor conditions suit this plant. Keep temperatures fairly even while fresh roots and leaves develop.
• Potting: Choose a fine-textured potting mix that stays slightly moist but lets excess water drain away. Choose a shallow container that leaves room for the horizontal stems to spread.
• Nutrition: Use a balanced fertiliser at low strength while fresh leaves and roots are developing. Between feeds, water thoroughly with plain water to flush excess fertiliser salts from the mix.
• Slower growth: If growth pauses, keep the mix lightly moist and feed less until new leaves or roots begin to appear.
• When to repot: Replace the mix once it becomes dense, breaks down or drains slowly. Choose a broader pot once the spreading stems touch the rim.
• Propagation: For propagation, choose a rooted stem section carrying a fresh healthy shoot. Set it on fresh potting mix kept lightly moist, and keep it warm and humid until new roots develop.

Problems to watch for on Anoectochilus albolineatus ‘White Center’

• The white centre develops beige or brown patches: Strong light, a dry spell or fertiliser salts can damage the pale tissue first. Move the plant into gentler light, water the mix evenly and flush it with plain water if feeding has been frequent.
• White fluff or powder appears on a leaf: Healthy leaves have a velvet surface. Look closely for mealybugs, fungal growth or dried residue; natural pale hairs belong mainly to roots and flowering parts.
• New spots spread, turn grey or later leave holes: Persistent surface moisture can favour bacterial and fungal leaf disease. Remove heavily affected foliage, keep the leaves dry during watering and provide gentle airflow.
• The lower stem becomes translucent and collapses: Waterlogged roots and bacterial soft rot can both cause rapid collapse. Isolate the plant, remove all soft tissue back to firm healthy growth with a clean blade and discard the rotten pieces. Place the healthy stem sections on fresh potting mix with good drainage. Keep the potting mix lightly moist while new roots form.
• Silver scratches, stippling, stickiness or fixed bumps appear: Check leaf bases and the creeping stem for thrips, mites, scale and mealybugs. After identifying the pest, use a houseplant product whose label names it. Follow the label for dose and repeat treatment.

Keep Anoectochilus albolineatus ‘White Center’ away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

Anoectochilus albolineatus: where the name comes from

Anoectochilus combines Greek anoiktos, meaning open, with cheilos, meaning lip, referring to the spreading form of the flower’s labellum. The epithet albolineatus is Latin for white-lined, referring to the pale lines on the leaves.

Carl Ludwig Blume established the genus Anoectochilus in 1825 in Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indië, page 411.

Charles Samuel Pollock Parish and Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach first described Anoectochilus albolineatus in 1874 in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, volume 30, page 141.