pseudobulb (adj. pseudobulbous)
A swelling at the base of a stem in which epiphytic orchids store nutrients and water.
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Pseudobulb
Punch
Pyrethrins - A class of chemicals found in many insecticides. They are a contact and a stomach poison which are lethal to most insects. They break down quickly in sunlight.
pseudobulb A thickened, aboveground, modified stem that serves as a storage organ. Found in some orchids.
pubescent Having short hairs.
pupa The stage between larva and adult in insects that go through complete metamorphosis.
"Pseudobulb" means the fleshy stem arising from the rhizome or root, made up of thick, overlapping leaves. This structure is important in helping the plant survive poor conditions. In size it may vary from a foot high down to an inch.
Vandas have no pseudobulbs, so they have no ability to store water. They are usually grown in very coarse, well-draining media or in no media at all in wood hanging baskets.
During this resting period, they may loose their leaves, leaving only the pseudobulbs. That's ok since new growth will come from the pseudobulbs.
Typically, epiphytic orchids have prominent, succulent stems called pseudobulbs that enable them to endure dry periods. Their leaves may be thin and deciduous or leathery and persistent.
Unless it is an emergency, the best time to repot an orchid with pseudobulbs, such as the cattelya shown here, is just after it has begun to produce a new growth but before the new roots have begun to elongate.
The plant's actively growing and flowering pseudobulb is usually trailed by two or three living, but leafless, pseudobulbs.
To pot, place the pseudobulbs on one side of the pot and fill around it with potting mix. You don't have to be gentle but remember not to bury the pseudobulb, just the roots.
If the orchid has fat pseudobulbs, it should be watered sparingly, and should be grown on coarse chunks of bark or lava rock.
BACKBULB: refers to the propagation of an orchid. It is the old, dormant pseudobulb, it may be leafless, but will still produce a new plant.
BALE: The area of the trunk between the base of a tree and the lowest branch.
Many develop a pseudobulb, from which one or two flowers bloom, which is attached to a stem that is more than 30 cm in length.
In their native habitat, they grow in trees without soil supporting their roots. Plants with this growth habit are called epiphytes. All cattleyas have pseudobulbs, or thickened stems, which store water and bear leathery leaves.
 See also: Plant, Water, Light, Potting, Flower
  
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