Sign in Start free
Species library › Bulbophyllum › Bulbophyllum algidum
Orchids Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Bulbophyllum algidum

A high-altitude Bulbophyllum from New Guinea, first collected on the Wollaston Expedition of 1912–13 between about 3200 and 3800 m. The epithet means 'cold', and it is one of the coldest-growing orchids in the genus. A 1938 collection from Lake Habbema describes it creeping in ground moss in an open thicket. It is very rarely collected, and almost nothing is published about its cultivation.

At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Very humid airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

The only habitat note is 'creeping in ground moss of an open thicket' at Lake Habbema, in the subalpine zone of the Snow Mountains. That zone is a mosaic of shrubbery, tussock grassland and mossy low forest that is often in cloud, with frequent night frosts at the upper end. The creeping rhizome in moss suggests a plant that behaves like a small terrestrial or moss-epiphyte.

Wollaston Expedition material came from 10,500–12,500 ft (about 3200–3800 m); Lake Habbema lies at about 3200 m.

Western New GuineaPapua New Guinea

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Bulbophyllum algidum? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Bulbophyllum

Bulbophyllum longiflorum Bulbophyllum gracillimum Bulbophyllum argyropus Bulbophyllum baileyi Bulbophyllum fenestratum Bulbophyllum macphersonii Bulbophyllum maxillare Bulbophyllum minutissimum Bulbophyllum raulersoniae Bulbophyllum schillerianum Bulbophyllum shepherdii Bulbophyllum teretifolium All 2219 →

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.