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Swamp orchids

Phaius

Also called Christmas Orchids

Swamp orchids
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain

Phaius, or swamp orchids, is a genus of about 45 evergreen terrestrial orchid species from tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific. Commonly grown members, such as the Christmas orchid, prefer warm, moist conditions and bright light.

Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Part shade, Bright indirect
Water
Keep the potting mix consistently moist during the growing season and water less in winter.
Soil
Free-draining, moisture-retentive mix such as bark with peat or sphagnum.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Moderate

About

Phaius, commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form clumps with crowded, sometimes stem-like pseudobulbs, large, pleated leaves and relatively large, often colourful flowers. Species in this genus are found in the tropical parts of Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. One species is also naturalized in Hawaii, Florida, and the Caribbean.

Where it grows

Orchids in the genus Phaius are found in tropical Africa, India, tropical and subtropical China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Polynesia and Australia. Nine species, four of which are endemic, occur in China and three species including two endemics are found in Australia. The Australian species are found in Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Phaius by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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