Orchid  (Paphiopedilum delenatii)

This rare South East Asian orchid was thought to be extinct in the wild until it was rediscovered in the 1990s (4). It is a terrestrial orchid that occurs in clusters; plants have mottled dark green leaves, which are marked with purple spots on the underside (2). The flower stalk (inflorescence) bears a single pink flower with broad petals (2).

Endemic to Vietnam in South East Asia, the recent discovery of wild populations has occurred in the Bi Dup mountain system in the south of the country (4).

Found growing in shaded crevices on south or southeast-facing slopes of granite mountains, in montane rainforest (2). Known sites occur between 800 and 1,300 metres above sea level (2).

These orchids grow on the ground with their roots attached to rocks or in thin sandy soils; they produce their stunning flowers in January (2).

The rediscovery of this species in the wild was heralded by the sudden appearance of vast numbers on the international orchid market; around 6 tons of living plants were exported to Taiwan between 1990 and 1991 (4). This large-scale collection is one of the causes of the precarious state of wild populations today; previous declines were also due to the loss of primary rainforest as deforestation swept through the region (4).

Paphiopedilum delenatii is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (3), but despite these restrictions plants continue to be illegally exported to supply the orchid collection market (4). Recent success in the cultivation of this highly attractive species has meant that it is now fairly widespread in cultivation (2). The wild plants that survive today are mainly located in inaccessible cliffs and it may be that these locations will serve to protect this species for the future (4).

Authenticated (5/6/03) by Dr Phillip Cribb. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk