Bulbophyllum falcatum (Lindl.) Rchb.f.

"Bulbophyllum falcatum (Lindl.) Rchb.f. is native to Tropical Western Africa. These orchids are found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, as well as in the Congo, Uganda and Principe. Information on the places of growth of this species is few, but there is evidence that in mountainous areas it occurs at an altitude of 300-910 m."

Bulbophyllum falcatum Rchb.f., Ann. Bot. Syst. (Walpers) 6(2): 258 (1861).

Bulbophyllum falcatum Rchb.f., Photo by Claire Bou

Bulbophyllum falcatum Rchb.f., Photo by Koos Peters

its native range is W. Tropical Africa to SW. Kenya.

Latinh Name: 

Bulbophyllum falcatum (Lindl.) Rchb.f.

Synonym Name:

Megaclinium falcatum Lindl.

Phyllorkis falcata (Lindl.) Kuntze

English Name:

Sickle-Shaped Leaf Bulbophyllum

Description: 

It has rachis shaped like a wing that are about 10 cm long and 8–10 mm thick. On each side of the rachis are a row of flowers with 10-15 flowers per row. The sepals of the flowers are a dark red and the petals are extremely small and resemble a thread. Of the floral parts the dorsal sepal is the biggest being 8–9 mm long and visually the most prominent part of the flower. Towards the end of the dorsal sepal there is a yellow thicker area.

Distribution:

Benin, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, Zaïre.

Ecological:

In lowland and submontane forests at altitudes below 1800 meters as a small sized, hot growing.

Flowering times:

Blooms in th weinter through spring.

Flower size:

1.0 cm.

Cultivation:

Keep plant in warm temperatures. Keep moist in summer seasons and do not allow mix to dry, in winter keep the mix slight dry and reduce watering. Keep good air movement to avoid fungal growth. Keep plants in shade. Pot plants in sphagnum moss, fine bark, or mounted.

Type:

Jan 1, 1983 Dinklage [1952], Liberia K000242411 isotype