Bulbophyllum medusae is found in the Malay Peninsula, Thailand, Borneo, Lesser Sunda Islands and Sumatra. They grow in lowland forests at elevations of sea level to 400 meters on trunks and main branches of trees...
Bulbophyllum medusae also called as Medusa's Bulbophyllum, Cirrhopetalum medusae, Phyllorchis medusae, is a species of the genus Bulbophyllum. This species was described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in W.G.Walpers in 1861.
IDENTIFY BULBOPHYLLUM MEDUSAE
Bulbophyllum medusae is found in the Malay Peninsula, Thailand, Borneo, Lesser Sunda Islands and Sumatra. They grow in lowland forests at elevations of sea level to 400 meters on trunks and main branches of trees.
It is a small sized, hot growing epiphyte with walnut-sized pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, 10 cm long leaf.
Medusa's Bulbophyllum blooms in the fall and winter on a to 20 cm long, erect, bracteate inflorescence arising from a newly forming pseudobulb, with an umbellate, fragrant albeit bad, flowers held just beyond leaf height. The flowers are 15 cm long with the long lateral sepals are rather like the snakes that formed Medusa's hair.
BULBOPHYLLUM MEDUSAE CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Bulbophyllum medusae needs a light level of 15000-17000 lux. The ideal photoperiod would be 12-13 hours. The intensity of the lighting also affects the rhizome: there is less light, and the longer the rhizome between a pseudobulb and the other, which in its way will try to bring the young pseudobulb as far as possible from the unsuitable conditions.
Temperature:
This species is a plant with warm thermal requirements, and the ideal temperatures should be 24-26 ° C during the day and 19-21 ° C at night. However it also adapts to intermediate-hot conditions. The minimum temperature that bears is 16 ° C, but it is better to never get there.
Humidity:
The humidity of the air depends on the way in which Medusa's Bulbophyllum is placed. If you grow on a raft, you need at least 75-80%. If instead it is cultivated in pots, the normal levels that are inside a house are enough: 50-60%.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
To guarantee a harmonious development and the correct opening of the flowers we will have to find a luminous position but protected from the direct rays of the sun, which could burn the leaves and the flowers. The Bulbophyllum medusae has a climbing nature, the pseudobulbs grow on a rhizome spaced from each other, so the plant expands quickly. To follow his way of growth I would advise growing it mounted on a large piece of cork, putting a thick layer of sphagnum under the roots of the orchid. It is also possible to place it in a vase, choosing the large fiber sphagnum as a substrate. If you can find a wide and low transparent vase, it will be perfect.
Watering:
The cultivated plant loves high humidity, so you must always keep its substrate moist (but not wet). As soon as the substrate has dried to almost dry, we water the plant. During the warm period it is a good practice to slightly spray the top of the orchid during the day: it will help them "breathe" and will raise the humidity level around the plant. If they are placed in bare-root, we must spray it generously 2 times a day (on hot summer days even 3, if it dries too quickly).
Fertilizer:
The fertilizations are done every 3-4 waterings, with a special liquid fertilizer for orchids, using 1/3 of the dose indicated on the bottle.
Rest period:
Bulbophyllum medusae has no rest period, flowering is stimulated by daily changes of 3-4 ° C between day and night. Sometimes the flowers can not open and wither when closed. This usually happens when there is not enough light. To avoid such a misfortune, we provide a source of additional lighting, which we can use in case of need during this sensitive period.
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