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Species library › Pleurothallis › Pleurothallis ruscifolia
Orchids Well documented

Pleurothallis ruscifolia

A large, widespread pleurothallid that forms clumps of tall stems each topped by a single leathery leaf, with clusters of small pale greenish-yellow flowers at the leaf base. It ranges from Mexico and the Caribbean to Bolivia and Brazil in wet forest, mostly around 1,000 m, and is one of the easier members of the genus: intermediate temperatures, steady moisture and shade.

Pleurothallis ruscifolia
Photo: Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Epiphyte on trunks and branches in humid lowland to lower montane rain and cloud forest, occasionally on mossy rocks.

Recorded from sea level to about 3,200 m with a median near 1,100 m; most plants grow between roughly 500 and 2,000 m.

MexicoCentral AmericaGreater and Lesser AntillesColombiaVenezuelaThe GuianasEcuadorPeruBoliviaNortheastern Brazil

🔒 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 Public domain licence, unmodified.