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Species library › Rhynchostylis › Rhynchostylis retusa
Orchids Well documented

Rhynchostylis retusa

The foxtail orchid, a robust monopodial epiphyte from tropical South and Southeast Asia with long, dense pendant spikes of fragrant white-and-magenta flowers. It grows hot and bright in seasonally dry forest, so it wants strong light, heavy summer watering and a drier, cooler winter.

Rhynchostylis retusa
Photo: Andri Suprihardi, CC BY 2.0, 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
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Epiphytic on trunks and branches in open deciduous and semi-evergreen lowland forest, plantations and forest edges, often in fairly exposed positions.

Recorded at 2–989 m, median about 260 m; mostly a lowland and foothill species.

India and Sri LankaNepal and the HimalayaBangladeshMyanmar, Thailand and IndochinaSouthern ChinaMalaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines

🔒 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 2.0 licence, unmodified.