Species of the Month – January 2014
Eria paniculata Lindl.
Eria paniculata Lindl. (= Mycaranthes floribunda (D. Don) S. C. Chen & J .J. Wood)
Eria is a large genus with more than 550 species. The genus is related to Dendrobium with many similarities in vegetative and floral structures. Though not a popular genera under cultivation, have some interesting species. Earlier Eria species have been placed in diverse genera, but now 
put under Eria. It is a small to medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte or terrestrial.
Distribution: Many of the species are distributed in Chinese Himalayas, Assam, Bangladesh, the Eastern Himalayas, Southern India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Borneo. The genus occurs in mixed evergreen forests at elevations of 660 to 2300 meters.
Plant: Plants are perennial, epiphytic with often pendent, woody stems, pseudobulbs cane like, enveloped by tubular sheaths and carrying many all along the stem which are leafy with linear to linear-oblong, acuminate, fleshy, shortly petiolate base leaves that blooms in the winter through spring on 2 to 4, terminal panicles. It produces densely many flowered inflorescence with acrid smelling flowers.
Care: Although it is not a popular plant to be cultivated, the genus is interesting and is with many collectors. It prefers warm to cool growing conditions. Flowers are dense and have a kind of acrid smell. Plants can be grown in filtered light conditions. They can be either mounted or grown in pots. Medium should be well drained and as the canes are pendent they need staking. Media should dry out between watering. They can be fertilised with any balanced fertiliser such as 19-19-19 every fortnight.
Article by : Dr K.S. Shashidhar