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Species library › Paphiopedilum › Paphiopedilum micranthum
Orchids Well documented

Paphiopedilum micranthum

A small-leaved Parvisepalum slipper orchid from the limestone karst of north Vietnam and south China. Its huge, balloon-shaped pink lip sits on a short stem above mottled leaves. It grows in leafy pockets on shaded limestone cliffs where winters are cool, fairly dry and foggy and summers are warm and wet. It is known as hard to bloom unless it gets a clear cool winter.

At home, aim for
Day Cool-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 rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Grows on limestone cliffs and in rock crevices filled with leaf litter, weathered limestone and clay, in karst forest and scrub. A herbarium label from China notes simply 'limestone mountain'. Plants are said to get early-morning light and shade for the rest of the day, in air moved by winds over the karst ridges.

The literature gives about 460–1600 m. Measured wild records span 514–1600 m, with a median of 1287 m.

China: southeast Yunnan, Guangxi, southwest GuizhouNorthern Vietnam

🔒 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.