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Species library › Paphiopedilum › Paphiopedilum lowii
Orchids Partly documented

Paphiopedilum lowii

A multi-flowered slipper orchid from Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula and Sulawesi, unusual in the genus because it grows mostly as an epiphyte. Its records span lowland to upper montane forest; the averaged climate is mild and very humid, with no dry season.

Paphiopedilum lowii
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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 Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Grows mainly as an epiphyte on tree trunks and branches in humid forest, less often on rocks. This is well known in cultivation, but the sources we opened do not describe it.

The climate sites range from about 290 m to 2050 m; few records carry an elevation.

BorneoSumatraJavaMalay PeninsulaSulawesi

🔒 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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.