Paphiopedilum acmodontum
Pointed Tooth Paphiopedilum
Family Orchidaceae
About
A small slipper orchid found only on Negros in the Philippines. It is widely used as a parent in orchid hybrids.
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
- Mature size
- Up to about 50 cm tall and wide.
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Compact, semi-terrestrial evergreen plant reaching about 50 cm high and wide, taking 2–5 years to mature. Elliptic leaves up to 18 cm long are mottled pale and dark green. A green, purple-spotted stalk up to 35 cm carries one flower 7–11 cm across.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to southern Negros in the Visayas, Philippines, at 1,000–1,500 m where average temperatures sit around 20–22 °C.
Cultivation notes
Grows well in cultivation and has produced many hybrids, including crosses with P. niveum, P. delenatii and P. bellatulum.
History & etymology
Described by M. W. Wood in 1976 after its discovery in the late 1960s. The name combines Greek and Latin words for "pointed tooth", after the pointed tip of the lip.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Philippines
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- 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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