Anoectochilus roxburghii ‘Gold Bar’

The Asian range of Anoectochilus roxburghii

Anoectochilus roxburghii is native from the Himalaya through southern China and Indo-China. Anoectochilus setaceus Lindl. is an illegitimate later homonym and synonym of A. roxburghii, not the distinct Javan and Sumatran A. setaceus Blume.

Care for jewel orchids and their velvet foliage

Leaf care

The central marking of Anoectochilus roxburghii ‘Gold Bar’ can be obscured by dust, but the velvet leaf should be brushed gently rather than polished or repeatedly touched. Use a loose surface pin until new roots anchor.

Light

Give Anoectochilus roxburghii ‘Gold Bar’ moderate filtered light close to an east window or somewhat farther from a large south window. Hot direct sun can scorch the thin textured foliage, while low light makes the stems wander and leaves shrink.

Watering

Feel just beneath the surface of Anoectochilus roxburghii ‘Gold Bar’ and water once it begins to dry, while moisture remains deeper down. The thin roots and creeping rhizome-like stem cannot bridge a severe dry spell.

Care

The low foliage can be chilled by glass or a stone shelf even when room air feels mild.

Humidity and airflow

Anoectochilus roxburghii ‘Gold Bar’ appreciates high humidity, especially while roots form along a surface node. In drier rooms the leaves may remain smaller or develop brown margins.

Fertilising

Feed Anoectochilus roxburghii ‘Gold Bar’ at the very low end of the product-label rate when a creeping tip, leaf or root is developing. Apply to damp substrate and flush the pot gently between feeds because the fine terrestrial roots are vulnerable to salt.

Bold gold bars with airy roots

• Thick metallic gold veins cross near-black leaves: The bold bar-like venation is normal for ‘Gold Bar’. Healthy lines sit within firm velvet and cannot be wiped away; random silver scraping or black faecal dots suggest thrips.
• The latest leaf is greener or less strongly marked: Young foliage and changing conditions can alter contrast. Keep light bright but filtered and judge the mature leaf; direct sun risks bleaching the dark background rather than improving gold.
• The plant wilts while the mix is still wet: Fine roots may be oxygen-starved or decaying. Remove the pot cover, inspect for soft roots and reset the plant in a loose medium instead of adding more water.
• A flowering stem rises and an old rosette slows: Flowering can divert energy and an individual rosette may pause afterwards. Cut the spent spike when dry and keep any firm creeping shoots; do not overfeed to force immediate foliage.
• New velvet leaves open with scratches and twisted edges: Thrips are more likely than a change in the cultivar pattern. Isolate the orchid, inspect folded growth and make the follow-up treatments described in our thrips guide

Keep Anoectochilus roxburghii ‘Gold Bar’ away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

About the name Anoectochilus roxburghii

Anoectochilus combines Greek anoiktos, meaning open, with cheilos, meaning lip, referring to the spreading form of the flower’s labellum. The epithet roxburghii honours the Scottish botanist William Roxburgh.

Carl Ludwig Blume established the genus Anoectochilus in 1825 in Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indië, page 411.

Nathaniel Wallich first described it as Chrysobaphus roxburghii in 1826 in Tentamen Florae Napalensis, page 37. John Lindley later placed it in Anoectochilus as Anoectochilus roxburghii in 1839 in Illustrations of the Botany of the Himalayan Mountains, page 368.