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Species library › Bulbophyllum › Bulbophyllum purpureorhachis
Orchids Partly documented

Bulbophyllum purpureorhachis

A West and Central African Bulbophyllum of section Megaclinium, whose flowers sit along a flattened, blade-like purple rachis. Herbarium records place it in lowland rainforest from Liberia and Ivory Coast to Gabon and the Congo basin, at about 200–700 m. It is a warm-growing epiphyte that wants steady heat, humidity and bright shade.

Bulbophyllum purpureorhachis
Photo: M. S. del. ( = Matilda Smith, 1854-1926), J. N. Fitch lith. ( = John Nugent Fitch, 1840–1927) Description by R. A. Rolfe (1855–1921), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

An epiphyte in primary and disturbed lowland forest; collectors record plants about 40 cm tall with thick, leathery leaves, one on a Cylicodiscus tree and one by a rocky creek in closed high forest in deep shade.

GBIF specimens with elevations run from 200 to 706 m, median about 420 m.

LiberiaIvory CoastCameroonGabonRepublic of the CongoCentral African RepublicDR Congo

🔒 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

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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.