Orchidaceae
Paphiopedilum

Paphiopedilum bellatulum (Rchb.f.) Stein

First published in Orchid.-Buch: 456 (1892)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is China (SE. Yunnan, SW. Guizhou, W. Guangxi) to Indo-China. It is a perennial or lithophyte and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/201856/2723333

Conservation
EN - endangered
[IUCN]

Distribution

Western Burma, north-west Thailand, and south-west China.

General Description

A terrestrial herb, usually with clustered growths. Leaves 4–5, oblong-elliptic, rounded and minutely emarginate at apex, usually up to 14 cm long, 5 cm wide, very dark green, mottled with pale green above, heavily purple-spotted below. Inflorescence 1- or rarely 2-flowered, very short, usually arcuate; peduncle 2–4.5 cm long, arcuate, white-pubescent, purple or green, mottled maroon; bract conduplicate, elliptic-ovate, acute to obtuse, 23–27 mm long, 15–25 mm wide, pubescent, pale green, spotted purple. Flower subcampanulate, large for size of plant, about 5.5–8 cm in diameter, white or creamy yellow, usually heavily spotted on all segments with large maroon spots, shortly pubescent on outside; ovary about 3 cm long, green, spotted dull maroon. Dorsal sepal concave, broadly transversely elliptic to broadly ovate, obtuse to retuse, 2.7–4 cm long, 3.3–5.6 cm wide. Synsepal deeply concave, cordate, obtuse to rounded at apex, 2–3.1 cm long, 2.2–3.3 cm broad. Petals somewhat concave, broadly elliptic, rounded at apex, 4.5–6.3 cm long, 2.7–5.3 cm wide. Lip narrowly ovoid to ellipsoidal, 2.5–4.2 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide, all margins strongly incurved. Staminode subquadrate-obcordate, with short apical teeth, 8–11 mm long, 8–9 mm wide. 2n = 26.

Ecology

In shade on steep limestone slopes and rocks.

[C-EM]

Common Names

english
egg-in-a-nest orchid

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Cypripedioideae: e-monocot.org

    • All Rights Reserved

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Kew's Living Collection Database

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images