Species library › Paphiopedilum › Paphiopedilum xerophyticum
Orchids Partly documented

Paphiopedilum xerophyticum

This is the Mexican slipper orchid better known as Mexipedium xerophyticum; the Paphiopedilum name comes from a broad treatment of the slipper orchids. It is a small, creeping lithophyte from a few rock outcrops in Oaxaca and tolerates more drying and a marked dry season.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-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 vertical limestone outcrops in seasonally dry tropical forest, rooting in crevices and moss and spreading by stolons.

Low to mid elevations in Oaxaca; exact altitudes are not given in the sources consulted here.

MexicoOaxaca

🔒 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.