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

Bulbophyllum shepherdii

Wheat-leaved orchid

A tiny, mat-forming Bulbophyllum from the rainforests of eastern Australia. Its 2–3 mm pseudobulbs creep flat against rocks and bark, each carrying a single small leaf, and it produces minute cream flowers. It is a cool-to-intermediate shade lover that wants constant moisture and gentle, moving air, and it grows best mounted.

At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

It grows on rocks or trees in rainforest, often in deep shade, as dense mats of branching rhizome pressed against the surface. Its range runs from subtropical rainforest in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales to cooler, warm-temperate rainforest gullies on the South Coast.

Sea level to about 1,000 m according to the NSW flora. GBIF records span 1–1,100 m, with a median of 190 m across 21 records.

Australia: New South Wales (North, Central and South Coast, Northern and Central Tablelands)Australia: southeast Queensland

🔒 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 shepherdii? 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 teretifolium Bulbophyllum weinthalii All 2219 →

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