Wild Paphs in Malaysia

[KyushuCalanthe]

A good friend of mine, Rogier van Vugt, from Holland recently visited Malaysia to see some of the botanical wonders there. He was generous enough to allow me to repost them here for your enjoyment. These were all taken on a mountain called Gunung Jerai. Here's a taste of what he saw.

First, a Paph, P. callosum v. sublaeve growing and flowering!

There were plenty of Aneoctochilus growing in the same vacinity.

As I said, just a taste. More later.

 

[eOrchids]

Love seeing wild orchids esp paphs!

Keep them coming!!!

 

[JeanLux]

too cool to see callosum growing naturally!!!! Do you have any info of the nature of the soil/ media it is in? Jean

 

[smartie2000]

callosum is growing in a thin layer of living sphagnum moss too

 

[Leo Schordje]

Thanks Tom, seeing the live sphagnum right on the surface with the callosum is informative. I need to rethink how I do some Paphs.

 

[NYEric]

Ummmmm wild jewel orchids too! :drool:

 

[emydura]

Thanks Tom. Cool photos.

David

 

[Lance Birk]

..

 

[GuRu]

Lovely photos of paphs growing in situ!!
Best regards from Germany, rudolf

 

[toddybear]

WOW! growing in sphagnum...they can take more wet than I thought!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

too cool to see callosum growing naturally!!!! Do you have any info of the nature of the soil/ media it is in? Jean

He said that the substrate was a "stony sand" and that the sphagnum was not wet, just moist. Also, these areas were on strong slopes, so no doubt drainage was excellent.

 

[SelectOrchids]

Mmmmh... It looks perfectly well like the sangii habitat, except that the sphagnum layer is thicker. hookerae grows in the same conditions in Bakun as well.

One of the best cut flower growers in the Netherlands in the 80's and early 90's was growing his Maudiae types in living sphagnum, on the benches without pots. They were really great, and I remember a 10+ growths of sangii in France that a hobbyist was growing in living sphagnum. Dead sphagnum for paphs on the other side is definitely not the way to go.

 

[SlipperFan]

I dislike using dead sphagnum -- but where does one find for purchase, live sphagnum?

 

[Leo Schordje]

I dislike using dead sphagnum -- but where does one find for purchase, live sphagnum?

Hi Dot,
You are in the sand counties of Michigan, just head out the door and collect your own live sphagnum. It will grow for you, while the native Michigan species survives our winters, it does not seem to require a winter rest to begin growing in the spring. Try it. There are bogs, check the local blueberry farms, or head a little north to the cranberry bogs. Where ever you see larch trees in Michigan forests, there is a good chance you will find sphagnum. It grows all over there. I have seen nice sphagnum bogs with purple pitcher plants about 10 miles north of Grand Rapids off Hwy 31. I have kept some going for a couple years at a time indoors, but I would eventually forget and dry it out or something equally disasterous.

Tom, thanks for posting these photos, and the link to the original thread. Very cool.

 

[PaphMadMan]

I dislike using dead sphagnum -- but where does one find for purchase, live sphagnum?

Live sphagnum is often available in eBay if you can't or don't want to collect your own.

 

[slipperscout]

Great post!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[SlipperFan]

Thanks Leo. I've seen all kinds of mosses in Michigan, but not sphagnum. Maybe I just don't recognize it.

 

[biothanasis]

WOW!!! GReat pictures!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

 

[fundulopanchax]

Rogier certainly gets to see interesting places!

Ron

 

[callosum]

beauty nature created