A slipper orchid endemic to China, found only in Yunnan. Terrestrial or lithophytic, spreading by creeping stolons. Five to seven leathery green leaves spotted purple, up to 12 cm. A hairy purple-green scape usually with one flower, the whole bloom apricot to golden yellow, the lip inflated into an almost spherical pouch (the slipper), hence apricot orange paphiopedilum and golden slipper orchid; a large flower around 10 cm across. Described only in 1982 and an immediate award-winner at international shows, the main source of yellow in slipper-orchid breeding. Threatened by over-collection in the wild and protected at China's first grade.
Habitat
Limestone hills at 1,400–2,100 m in mossy crevices and under open woodland, cool with dry winters; a rare pot orchid in cultivation.
Distribution
Endemic to China, only in western Yunnan (the Nu River drainage); grown in orchid collections and shown at exhibitions in China and worldwide, regular at Japanese orchid shows, occasional at Singapore's orchid shows.
Season and behaviour
March to May; a flower lasts over a month.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
The golden spherical pouch has most texture in soft light: side-on at flower level for the curve of the pouch and the dorsal sepal, head-on for the whole apricot bloom; yellow bleaches in sun, half a stop under. A dark green or dark background floats the yellow. Macro for the purple spots on the leaves. A first-grade protected plant: photograph cultivated plants only, never collect, never reveal a wild location.
Photographic styles
A golden pouch in profile; apricot yellow before a dark background.
Similar species
Paphiopedilum micranthum (pink-white with a large pouch, also from Yunnan); Paphiopedilum concolor (yellow finely spotted, smaller); other slipper orchids (mostly green-brown or purple).
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. The photograph is from Wikimedia Commons; its licence and author are under it.
Why it is listed: this species comes from the Flower checklist (GBIF backbone and Wikidata verified). Names follow the GBIF backbone and Wikidata; the facts follow the sources below; photo recognition is not offered.
