Growing Porpax.
 

I remembered someone on this forum had asked a question about how to grow Porpax meirax.

Now I don't know if the person still has it or not, but I've finally figured this plant out enough to know how to grow it properly.

A little background first...

I currently own Porpax ustulata and Porpax sp. Vietnam (which I beleive is Porpax elwesii). The first Porpax I've ever owned was Porpax fibuliformis. Needless to say, because of the very little info there is on Porpax I offed all the Porpax fibuliformis I've ever attempted. The next species attempted was Porpax sp. Vietnam (Porpax elwesii). I had purchased two colonies only to have one colony barely survive to this day. Of course the most recent Porpax species is Porpax ustulata, the one that would answer all the basic growing questions I've had about this group of unusual miniature orchids.

First, what is a Porpax?

Orchids in the genus Porpax are a bunch of miniature plants belonging to the subfamily Epidendroideae, tribe Podochileae, and subtribe Eriinae (Jay Pfahl, Jay's Internet Orchid Encyclopedia). Simply put, they're related to Erias.

According to the pictures of Porpax (elwesii) in Jay's Internet Orchid Encyclopedia, they are epiphytes growing on the trunks of tree amongst moss and lithophytes on limestone rocks amongst moss.

Physical description:

Stature: miniature

Pseudobulbs: Mature pseudobulbs are leafless and have a net-like covering around them. They're green and resemble a flattened green pea.

Leaves: Fully formed leaves are soft, green, and rounded with pore-like structures on the surface (use a jeweler's loupe to see this).

Roots: Short roots are a buff white in color and hairy, and emerge from underneath the pseudobulbs (not from the edges). They resemble moss.

Flowers: A general description of the flower type for the genus is as follows.

They resemble the head of a baby bird, is hairy, and are usually red with orange markings (color may vary for Porpax grandiflora).

Flowers bloom from the central leaf axil of new shoots (growths that haven't formed pseudobulbs yet). Usually one flower emerges but can have two.

# of pollina: 8

Fragrance: none

Growth habit: Sympodial, forming closely clustered matts.

Lighting: shade to bright shade (Phalaenopsis bright)

Temperature Range: intermediate - warm, preferring intermediate

Humidity: 60% - 80% is adequate

Air circulation: moderate

Deciduous: Yes. After pseudobulbs mature.

Dormancy: Yes. Starts around late fall through mid spring.

Watering: Evenly moist while allowing to dry out between waterings during growing season. Water sparingly during dormancy, just enough to keep pseudobulbs from shriveling.

Flowering season: Sporadically throughout growing season.

Media: Grow mounted with moss (tree fern, cork bark, or limestone rocks)

Note: New shoots grow from the edges of the "disk" and are usually bifoliate.

Thank you, that was very helpful. I just got my P. ustulat this evening and was googling it :-)

Jeez, just write an article.

Thanks for all the info on what I have also found, is a rarely detailed orchid.

You're welcome.

Unfortunately they are extremely difficult to establish.

I have failed multiple times to grow them longer than 2 - 3 yrs.

The problem is that they almost always come in with a messed up root system and for them to re-establish that root system can be difficult. They don't grow a large amount of roots. There are probably less than 10 roots per pseudobulb, and the roots don't grow fast either.

They also require a decent amount of humidity.

This is a very trying species to get going. More often than not, the new shoots will somehow just rot out.

I have yet to figure out how to prevent this.

Once they establish and grow nicely, I can foresee them growing like weeds.

At the moment, they're still a poorly detailed group of plants. They are wonderful little miniatures if you can figure out a way to get them going for longer than 2 - 3 yrs.

I've got two of these on the way currently, I hope I can keep them alive. I was doing great with my Eria until the sunburn.