Bulbophyllum barbigerum
A small epiphytic orchid from the lowland rainforests of West and Central Africa. It is the type species of section Ptiloglossum, with flowers whose lips carry long purple hairs and give off an unpleasant, fly-attracting smell. In Gabon it grows high on the branches of large rainforest trees. It needs constant warmth, high humidity with good air movement, and a mount rather than a pot.
Where it grows wild
In Gabon, collectors found it as an epiphyte on Lophira alata in mature forest with a 30 m canopy, and on branches about 5 cm across. Most specimens were gathered from fallen trees and branches, which suggests it normally grows up in the crowns. Label notes describe it as a small epiphytic orchid with an erect inflorescence, yellow buds striped with purple, and a purple lip with long hairs. Like other Bulbophyllum, it has pseudobulbs spaced along a creeping rhizome.
Recorded at 17–143 m, with the median at 78 m (27 records), so it is a lowland rainforest plant.
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More Bulbophyllum
Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.