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Phalaenopsis lobbii

Phalaenopsis lobbii
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0

Phalaenopsis lobbii is an epiphytic orchid from wet tropical forests of the eastern Himalaya to southern China and Indochina, named after plant hunter Thomas Lobb. It is a rare species that often sheds its leaves in winter, so keep it on a bright, humid mount or pot and water carefully through its dormant phase.

Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Epiphyte, Orchid
Light
Bright indirect
Water
Water thoroughly when the potting medium or mount is nearly dry, and let excess drain freely; reduce watering in winter when leaves drop.
Soil
Fine orchid bark mix or a mount of bark or cork with some sphagnum moss.
Temperature
18–28 °C; protect below 12 °C
How easy
Hard
Safety
Not toxic to cats or dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
E. Himalaya to China (SE. Yunnan, Guizhou)
Climate
wet tropical

About

Phalaenopsis lobbii, also known as 罗氏蝴蝶兰 (luo shi hu die lan) in Chinese, is a species of orchid found from the eastern Himalaya to Indochina.It is named in honour of Cornish plant hunter Thomas Lobb.

These epiphytic plants have aerial, fleshy, dorsiventrally flattened roots, which radiate from a short stem, which is inclosed by leaf petioles. The stem bears 3-5 slightly fleshy, thin leaves, which are commonly shed in winter. Some plants retain up to two leaves, but most exhibit deciduous leaflessness. Small flowers with reflexed petals of 1.5 cm in diameter are produced between March and May on racemose inflorescences. The midlobe of the labellum shows brown colouration.

Other Phalaenopsis plants

Phalaenopsis subg. Hygrochilus · Phalaenopsis subg. Ornithochilus · Moth orchid · Phalaenopsis amboinensis · Phalaenopsis aphrodite · Phalaenopsis appendiculata · Phalaenopsis bastianii · Phalaenopsis bellina · Phalaenopsis boulbetii · Phalaenopsis buyssoniana · Phalaenopsis cacharensis · Phalaenopsis celebensis

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Phalaenopsis lobbii 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.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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