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Species library › Phragmipedium › Phragmipedium caudatum
Orchids Well documented

Phragmipedium caudatum

The Mandarin orchid, type species of Phragmipedium, famous for its very long, twisting petals. It grows on steep, wet banks and rock in the Andean foothills of Peru and Bolivia, and wants intermediate temperatures, bright filtered light and constant moisture with good drainage.

Phragmipedium caudatum
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A terrestrial or lithophytic orchid of steep slopes, rocky banks and cliffs in montane forest on the eastern Andean slopes, often where water seeps nearby. Classed as terrestrial; habitat detail partly from the genus.

Records with elevation fall at 1,718–2,040 m (median 1,850 m), which fits its known montane habitat.

PeruBolivia

🔒 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

Grow Phragmipedium caudatum? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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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.