Paphiopedilum callosum
Callus Paphiopedilum
Family Orchidaceae
About
A slipper orchid ranging from Indochina to the northern Malay Peninsula. It is a parent of many hybrids but is considered hard to grow.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Shade-loving: roughly 1,000–2,000 foot-candles, such as an east or west window or a shaded south window. General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Keep the mix evenly moist but never soggy; do not leave the pot standing in water. General guidance for the genus
- Humidity
- Moderate, about 40–50%; a tray of damp gravel helps, with steady air movement. General guidance for the genus
- Temperature
- Nights about 13–22 °C (55–72 °F), days 21–29 °C (70–85 °F); mottled-leaf and multi-flowered types prefer the warmer end, plain green-leaved types the cooler end. General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Fine to medium fir bark with perlite, sand or sphagnum; limestone-dwelling species appreciate added limestone chips or oyster shell. General guidance for the genus
- Pot
- Repot about every two years, or sooner if the mix breaks down. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Divide established clumps into groups of three to five growths; single growths may take time to flower. General guidance for the genus
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Three to five leaves 10–20 cm long, mottled pale and dark green above, sometimes purple below. A purple hairy stalk 12–25 cm tall carries one flower 8–11 cm across. Flowers April to June.
Distribution & habitat
Central and southern Indochina to the northern Malay Peninsula at 300–1,300 m, along streams in closed forest over granite and sandstone.
Ecology
Grows in deep leaf litter and sometimes on mossy boulders.
Cultivation notes
Many hybrids have been made, though the species itself is regarded as difficult in cultivation.
History & etymology
Described by Reichenbach in 1886 as Cypripedium callosum (Latin callosus, thick-skinned) and moved to Paphiopedilum in 1892.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- difficult
- Temperature
- Nights about 13–22 °C (55–72 °F), days 21–29 °C (70–85 °F); mottled-leaf and multi-flowered types prefer the warmer end, plain green-leaved types the cooler end.
- Humidity
- Moderate, about 40–50%; a tray of damp gravel helps, with steady air movement.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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