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Species library › Paphiopedilum › Paphiopedilum bullenianum
Orchids Well documented

Paphiopedilum bullenianum

Bullen's paphiopedilum

A mottled-leaf slipper orchid of section Barbata, spread across equatorial Malesia from Sumatra and peninsular Malaysia through Borneo to Sulawesi and the Moluccas. It has 6-8 tessellated leaves 7-14 cm long with purplish undersides and a single 7.5-10 cm flower on a tall scape. It grows in humus and on wet mossy rocks in light shade, and in cultivation wants warm-to-intermediate, humid, shaded conditions that never dry out.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

It grows as a terrestrial or on humus and wet, moss-covered rocks on steep slopes in tropical rainforest, in light shade. Plants sit in leaf litter and moss that stays moist all year. The eastern form, var. celebesense, grows in Sulawesi, Seram and the Moluccas.

Reported from sea level to 1850 m, most often around 900 m; var. celebesense at about 950 m. None of the GBIF records carries an elevation.

BorneoMalayaMalukuSulawesiSumatera

🔒 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.