Paphiopedilum

The paphiopedilums (genus Paphiopedilum) – often abbreviated Paph and colloquially known as paphs in horticulture – are flowering plants in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It contains about 80 accepted species nowadays, some of which are natural hybrids. These slipper orchids are native to South China, India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and form their own subtribe, the Paphiopedilinae.

Description

Paphiopedilum species naturally occur among humus layers as terrestrials on the forest floor, while a few are true epiphytes and some are lithophytes. These sympodial orchids lack pseudobulbs. Instead, they grow robust shoots, each with several leaves; some are hemicryptophytes. The leaves can be short and rounded or long and narrow, and typically have a mottled pattern. When older shoots die, newer ones take over. Each new shoot only blooms once when it is fully grown, producing a raceme between the fleshy, succulent leaves. The roots are thick and fleshy. Potted plants form a tight lump of roots that, when untangled, can be up to 1 m long.

Members of this genus are considered highly collectible by orchid fanciers due to the curious and unusual form of their flowers. Along with Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Phragmipedium and Selenipedium, the genus is a member of the subfamily Cypripedioideae, commonly referred to as the "lady's-slippers" or "slipper orchids" due to the unusual shape of the pouch-like labellum of the flower. The pouch traps insects seeking nectar, and to leave again they have to climb up past the staminode, behind which they collect or deposit pollinia.

In horticulture

The paphiopedilums are among the most widely cultivated and hybridized of orchid genera. Spectacular new species are being discovered every now and then; for example the Golden Slipper Orchid (P. armeniacum), discovered in 1979 and described in 1982, amazed growers of orchids by the extraordinary beauty of its golden flowers. In addition, growers have bred thousands of interspecific hybrids and registered them with the Royal Horticultural Society in London over the years.

These orchids are relatively easy to grow indoors, as long as conditions that mimic their natural habitats are created. Most species thrive in moderate to high humidity (50-70%), moderate temperatures ranging from 13 to 35 degrees Celsius and low light of 12,000 to 20,000 lux. Modern hybrids are typically easier to grow in artificial conditions than their parent species.

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus name Paphiopedilum was established by Ernst Hugo Heinrich Pfitzer in 1886; it is derived from Paphos (a city on Cyprus) and Ancient Greek pedilon "slipper". Ironically, no paphiopedilum occurs on Cyprus – at least not as the genus is understood today. But it was long mixed up with its Holarctic relative Cypripedium, which indeed grows in the Mediterranean region. Paphiopedilum was finally decided to be a valid taxon in 1959, but its use has become restricted to eastern Asian species in our time.

Subdivisions

The genus Paphiopedilum has been divided into several subgenera, and then further into sections and subsections: Subgenus Parvisepalum
Subgenus Brachypetalum
Subgenus Polyantha
Section Mastigopetalum
Section Polyantha
Section Mystropetalum
Section Stictopetalum
Section Paphiopedilum
Section Seratopetalum
Section Cymatopetalum
Section Thiopetalum
Subgenus Sigmatopetalum
Section Spathopetalum
Subsection Macronidium
Subsection Spathopetalum
Section Blepharopetalum
Section Mastersianum
Section Punctatum
Section Barbata
Subsection Lorapetalum
Subsection Chloroneura
Section Planipetalum
Section Venustum
Subgenus Cochlopetalum

Selected species

There are more than 550 taxa in this genus, including some 80 valid species. Some notable species and their natural hybrids are listed here, together with some assorted varieties and forms: Paphiopedilum acmodontum (Philippines)
Paphiopedilum adductum
Paphiopedilum × affine (P. appletonianum × P. villosum) (Vietnam)
Paphiopedilum appletonianum (Hainan to Indochina)
Paphiopedilum × areeanum (P. barbigerum × P. villosum var. annamense) (China: SE Yunnan)
Paphiopedilum argus (Philippines: Luzon)
Paphiopedilum armeniacum – Golden Slipper Orchid
Paphiopedilum barbatum – Penang Slipper Orchid (Peninsular Thailand to Sumatra)
Paphiopedilum barbigerum
Paphiopedilum bellatulum – Egg-in-a-nest Orchid (SE Yunnan, Guizhou, S Guangxi to Indochina)
Paphiopedilum bougainvilleanum (Solomon Islands)
Paphiopedilum bougainvilleanum var. bougainvilleanum (Solomon Islands: North Solomons)
Paphiopedilum bougainvilleanum var. saskianum (Solomon Islands: South Solomons)
Paphiopedilum bullenianum (Malesia)
Paphiopedilum bullenianum var. bullenianum (W Malaysia)
Paphiopedilum bullenianum var. celebesense (Sulawesi to Maluku)
Paphiopedilum × burbidgei (P. dayanum × P. javanicum var. virens) (Borneo)
Paphiopedilum callosum (Indochina to NW Peninsular Malaysia)
Paphiopedilum callosum var. callosum (Indochina) (including f. albinum, P. viniferum)
Paphiopedilum callosum var. potentianum (Thailand)
Paphiopedilum callosum var. warnerianum (Peninsular Thailand to NW Peninsular Malaysia)
Paphiopedilum charlesworthii
Paphiopedilum ciliolare
Paphiopedilum concolor
Paphiopedilum × cribbii Averyanov (S Vietnam)
Paphiopedilum × dalatense (P. callosum × P. villosum var. annamense) (Vietnam)
Paphiopedilum dayanum (Borneo)
Paphiopedilum delenatii
Paphiopedilum dianthum
Paphiopedilum × dixlerianum (P. callosum × P. wardii) (Myanmar)
Paphiopedilum druryi (S India)
Paphiopedilum emersonii
Paphiopedilum × expansum ( P. hennisianum × P. philippinense) (Philippines)
Paphiopedilum exul (Peninsular Thailand)
Paphiopedilum fairrieanum (E Himalaya to Assam)
Paphiopedilum × fanaticum (P. malipoense × P. micranthum) (S China)
Paphiopedilum fowliei
Paphiopedilum × frankeanum (P. superbiens × P. tonsum) (Sumatra)
Paphiopedilum gigantifolium (SC Sulawesi)
Paphiopedilum glanduliferum (NW New Guinea)
Paphiopedilum glaucophyllum
Paphiopedilum godefroyae (Peninsular Thailand)
Paphiopedilum gratrixianum
Paphiopedilum × grussianum (P. dianthum × P. hirsutissimum var. esquirolei) (China: Guangxi)
Paphiopedilum hangianum Perner & O.Gruss (Yunnan to Vietnam) (including f. album, P. singchii)
Paphiopedilum haynaldianum (Philippines: Luzon, Negros)
Paphiopedilum helenae Aver. (N Vietnam: Cao Bang Province) (includes P. delicatum)
Paphiopedilum hennisianum (C Philippines)
Paphiopedilum henryanum (SE Yunnan, Guangxi to N Vietnam)
Paphiopedilum × herrmannii (P. helenae × P. hirsutissimum var. esquirolei) (Vietnam)
Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum (Assam to S China)
Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum var. chiwuanum (China: Yunnan)
Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum var. esquirolei (Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi to N & E Indochina)
Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum var. hirsutissimum (Assam to Myanmar)
Paphiopedilum hookerae (Borneo)
Paphiopedilum hookerae var. hookerae (Borneo: Sarawak, W. Kalimantan)
Paphiopedilum hookerae var. volonteanum (Borneo: Sabah)
Paphiopedilum insigne (Assam: Meghalaya)
Paphiopedilum intaniae (Sulawesi)
Paphiopedilum javanicum (Sumatra, Borneo to Lesser Sunda Islands)
Paphiopedilum javanicum var. javanicum (Sumatra to Lesser Sunda Islands)
Paphiopedilum javanicum var. virens (Borneo: Sabah to N Sarawak)
Paphiopedilum × kimballianum (P. dayanum × P. rothschildianum) (Borneo: Mt. Kinabalu)
Paphiopedilum kolopakingii (Borneo: C Kalimantan)
Paphiopedilum lawrenceanum (Borneo - Sarawak, Sabah)
Paphiopedilum liemianum (N. Sumatra)
Paphiopedilum × littleanum (P. dayanum × P. lawrenceanum) (Borneo)
Paphiopedilum lowii (W & C Malesia)
Paphiopedilum lowii var. lowii (W & C Malaysia)
Paphiopedilum lowii var. lynniae (Borneo)
Paphiopedilum lowii var. richardianum (Sulawesi)
Paphiopedilum malipoense – Jade Slipper Orchid (including P. jackii)
Paphiopedilum mastersianum (Lesser Sunda Islands to Maluku)
Paphiopedilum mastersianum var. mastersianum (Maluku: Ambon, Buru)
Paphiopedilum mastersianum var. mohrianum (Lesser Sunda Islands: Flores)
Paphiopedilum × mattesii (P. barbatum × P. bullenianum) (Peninsular Malaysia)
Paphiopedilum micranthum – Silver Slipper Orchid, Hard-leaved Pocket Orchid
Paphiopedilum niveum (Peninsular Thailand to N Peninsular Malaysia)
Paphiopedilum ooii
Paphiopedilum papuanum (New Guinea)
Paphiopedilum parishii (Assam to W Yunnan)
Paphiopedilum × pereirae (P. exul × P. niveum) (Peninsular Thailand)
Paphiopedilum × petchleungianum (P. dianthum × P. villosum) (China: SE Yunnan)
Paphiopedilum philippinense (Philippines to N Borneo)
Paphiopedilum philippinense var. philippinense (Philippines to N Borneo)
Paphiopedilum philippinense var. roebelenii (Philippines: Luzon)
Paphiopedilum × powellii (P. callosum × P. exul) (Peninsular Thailand)
Paphiopedilum × pradhanii (P. fairrieanum × P. venustum) (E Himalaya)
Paphiopedilum primulinum (Sumatra: S Aceh)
Paphiopedilum primulinum var. primulinum
Paphiopedilum primulinum var. purpurascens
Paphiopedilum purpuratum (S China to Hainan)
Paphiopedilum purpuratum var. hainanense (Hainan)
Paphiopedilum purpuratum var. purpuratum (China: Yunnan, Hong Kong, Guangdong)
Paphiopedilum randsii (Philippines: N Mindanao)
Paphiopedilum rhizomatosum (Myanmar)
Paphiopedilum rothschildianum – King of the Paphs
Paphiopedilum saccopetalum (China: SE Guanxi)
Paphiopedilum sanderianum (NW Borneo: Gunung Mulu)
Paphiopedilum sangii (N Sulawesi)
Paphiopedilum schoseri (Sulawesi to Maluku)
Paphiopedilum × shipwayae (P. dayanum × P. hookerae). (Borneo)
Paphiopedilum × siamense (P. appletonianum × P. callosum) (Thailand)
Paphiopedilum spicerianum
Paphiopedilum × spicerovenustum (P. spiceranum × P. venustum) (Assam)
Paphiopedilum stonei (Borneo: Sarawak)
Paphiopedilum stonei var. platyphyllum (Borneo: Sarawak)
Paphiopedilum stonei var. stonei (Borneo: S Sarawak)
Paphiopedilum sugiyamanum (Borneo: Sabah)
Paphiopedilum sukhakulii (NE Thailand)
Paphiopedilum supardii (Borneo: SE Kalimantan)
Paphiopedilum superbiens (N & W Sumatra)
Paphiopedilum thaianum (Thailand)
Paphiopedilum tigrinum (including P. smaragdinum)
Paphiopedilum tonsum (Rchb.f.) Stein (N & W Sumatra) (including f. alboviride)
Paphiopedilum tranlienianum (Vietnam)
Paphiopedilum tranlienianum f. alboviride (Vietnam)
Paphiopedilum urbanianum
Paphiopedilum usitanum (Philippines)
Paphiopedilum vejvarutianum (Thailand: Kanchanaburi)
Paphiopedilum × venustoinsigne (P. insigne × P. venustum) (Assam)
Paphiopedilum venustum (E Nepal to NE Bangladesh)
Paphiopedilum victoria-mariae (W Sumatra)
Paphiopedilum victoria-regina (including P. chamberlainianum)
Paphiopedilum × vietenryanum (P. gratrixianum × P. henryanum) (China: Yunnan)
Paphiopedilum vietnamense Gruss & Perner (Vietnam)
Paphiopedilum villosum (Assam to S China)
Paphiopedilum villosum var. annamense (Yunnan and Guangxi to Indochina)
Paphiopedilum villosum var. boxallii (Myanmar)
Paphiopedilum villosum var. villosum (Assam to Thailand) (including P. densissimum)
Paphiopedilum violascens (N & E New Guinea, Manus Island)
Paphiopedilum wardii Summerh. – Rainbow Orchid (SW Yunnan to Myanmar) (including f. alboviride)
Paphiopedilum wardii var. teestaensis (China: SW Yunnan)
Paphiopedilum × wenshanense (P. bellatulum × P. concolor, including P. × conco-bellatulum)
Paphiopedilum wentworthianum (Solomon Islands)
Paphiopedilum wilhelminae (C New Guinea)

Translation

The word "Paphiopedilum" occurs as such in the following languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian.

Translation(s) in other languages: Lithuanian: Raibuolė, Japanese: パフィオペディルム, Slovak: Črievičkovec, Finnish: Venuksenkengät, Thai: สกุลรองเท้านารี, Chinese: 兜蘭屬.