Sign in Start free
Species library › Bulbophyllum › Bulbophyllum muscicola
Orchids Partly documented

Bulbophyllum muscicola

A small epiphytic Bulbophyllum of the Himalaya that grows among moss on tree branches, with flattened single-leaved pseudobulbs and an umbel of 3–10 flowers in autumn. It comes from monsoon forests at roughly 1,000–1,700 m, so it wants mild, wet summers and a cooler, drier winter. Grow it mounted or in a shallow basket with some moss.

Bulbophyllum muscicola
Photo: M. S. del. ( = Matilda Smith, 1854-1926), J. N. Fitch lith. ( = John Nugent Fitch, 1840–1927) Description by Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817—1911), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

An epiphyte of Himalayan forest, recorded on Rhododendron arboreum in India. Its name means 'moss-dwelling', and it grows in moss on trunks and branches. IOSPE describes it as a miniature, warm- to cool-growing epiphyte.

IOSPE gives up to 1,500 m. Kew herbarium specimens from India record about 1,680 m on Rhododendron arboreum, so it reaches at least 1,700 m.

West HimalayaNepalEast HimalayaAssamThailand

🔒 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 muscicola? 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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its Public domain licence, unmodified.