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Species library › Bulbophyllum › Bulbophyllum refractum
Orchids Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Bulbophyllum refractum

A small epiphytic Bulbophyllum with conical pseudobulbs about 1 cm tall, narrow leaves, and arching sprays 13–23 cm long of 4–12 yellow-orange flowers with a purple and white lip and a faint hay scent. It ranges widely, from Sikkim and Myanmar through Thailand and Vietnam to Sumatra and Java, from sea level to about 1400 m. It is a fairly easy intermediate-to-warm grower on a mount or in a shallow basket.

Bulbophyllum refractum
Photo: Motohiro Sunouchi, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

An epiphyte on trees in tropical and monsoon forest across mainland and western Malesian South-East Asia. Javan collections come from the slopes of Mount Arjuno in East Java.

Published range from sea level to about 1420 m. No wild GBIF record carries a usable elevation.

East HimalayaIndiaMyanmarThailandLaosVietnamSumateraJawa

🔒 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 CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.