Ludisia discolor
A creeping terrestrial jewel orchid grown for its velvety maroon leaves with red or gold veins. It grows in deep, damp shade under evergreen broadleaf forest, often over mossy rocks in ravines and on slopes, from southern China through Indochina to western Malesia. It is easy indoors given low light, steady moisture and warmth, and it flowers in late winter after a slightly cooler, drier spell.
Where it grows wild
On the shaded, moist floor of evergreen broadleaf forest on hillsides and in ravines, often creeping over mossy rocks and through leaf litter and humus. The fleshy rhizomes run along the surface and root into moss and loose organic matter rather than deep soil.
Chinese floras give about 900–1300 m in China, and other sources give 500–1000 m. Measured records span 205–850 m (median 325 m), so it also occurs well below the Chinese flora range further south.
🔒 Growing it like that
The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:
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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.