Paphiopedilum Lady
Slipper or Slipper Orchid
Pictured
below is
a Complex Hybrid
Paphiopedilum Orchid produced by Ratcliffe Orchids of
Kissimmee, FL.
Paphiopedilum
(Paph.) is one of many genera of Orchids. Other
well-known genera, for example, are Cymbidium, Cattleya
, Dendrobium etc. Paph species are distributed widely
throughout South-East Asia, from Indonesia to southern
China. They are called Lady Slipper or Slipper Orchids,
because they have a big pouch that looks like a
'slipper' resulting in the misperception that Paphs are
carnivorous.
"This
genus was named for the temple to Aphrodite (Venus) at
Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, and the Greek pedilon
meaning a slipper. The French call slipper orchids sabots
de Venus."
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Plant
Facts:
Common
Name: Lady
Slipper or Slipper Orchid
Botanical
Name: Paphiopedilum
Family:
Orchidaceae
Plant
Type: Terrestrial
orchid.
Origin:
South-East
Asia
Zones:
10-11
Height:
12" - 24"
Rate
of Growth: Slow
Salt
Tolerance: Low
Soil
Requirements: Mix
quality pine bark (not garden mulch)
and perlite (ratio: 4 parts bark/1
part perlite); fine grade should be
used for small seedlings but for young
plants in 4" pots, coarse may be
substituted for 1 of the 4 parts bark.
Use coarse for large plants (i.e., 4
parts coarse bark/1 part perlite).
Repot every year or two, after
flowering. Paphs are small and do not
need an oversized pot so let your
guide be the size of the root system.
Water
Requirements: High
humidity is a must.
Nutritional
Requirements: Dilute balanced
liquid fertilizer monthly. A
fertilizer rich in nitrogen (growth formula)
should be used most of the year, alternating with high
phosphate/potash (often called blossom booster)
for 5-6 weeks in summer to initiate buds. Revert to growth
until buds appear and give a few more applications of blossom
booster to promote strong stems and bright colors,
then switch back to growth for the remainder of
the cycle.
Light
Requirements: Paphs are
terrestrial and in their native
habitat grow on the forest floor,
therefore 60% -- 70% shade is ideal.
Form: Sympodial
with short stems.
Leaves: 12"
long, rich green or mottled. Strap
or lance shaped, elliptic to ovate
leathery leaves.
Flowers:
Solitary, with an upright
upper sepal, 2 spreading petals and 2
lateral sepals united under a pouch.
Fruits:
Pests
or diseases: Spider
mites, whiteflies, mealybugs, aphids, gray mold,
anthracnose, root rot, iron deficiency, cymbidium mosaic
virus and bacterial soft rot.
Uses:
Cut flowers, specimen
plant.
Bad
Habits:
Cost:
$$ -- Very reasonable to
somewhat pricey
Propagation:
Division
Sources: Ratcliffe
Orchids;  A-Z
Encyclopedia of Garden Plants;  Flora:
A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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