About
A small, easy-to-grow epiphytic orchid from dry lowland forests of Southeast Asia with compact spikes of golden-orange flowers; it was formerly placed in Ascocentrum.
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
- Very bright light; tolerates full sun, developing purple spots.
- Water
- Water generously but let the roots dry quickly; strong, steady air movement helps.
- Temperature
- 15–30 °C; growth slows or stops below 10 °C or above 34 °C.
- Pot
- Wooden slats or baskets outdoors; indoors, clay pots partly filled with bark, charcoal or wood.
- Mature size
- Rarely more than 15 cm.
Field notes
Morphology
Rarely over 15 cm tall, with thick fleshy aerial roots and stiff, channelled leaves often speckled purple. Golden-orange flowers about 1.3 cm across form erect conical racemes 10–25 cm long in late spring to early summer. The narrow spur holds plenty of nectar, but the flowers have no scent.
Distribution & habitat
Epiphytic on deciduous trees in warm to hot semi-deciduous and deciduous forest from sea level to 1,000 m in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sumatra and the Himalayan foothills.
Cultivation notes
Long popular for its colourful flowers, small size and easy culture. Feed weekly to fortnightly, more heavily in spring and summer. It is often mislabelled since Ascocentrum was merged into Vanda in 2014.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
- Temperature
- 15–30 °C; growth slows or stops below 10 °C or above 34 °C.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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