Orchid  (Phragmipedium besseae)

Phragmipedium besseae flower

Facts

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Tracheophyta
Class Liliopsida
Order Orchidales
Family Orchidaceae
Genus Phragmipedium (1)

Status

Classified as Vulnerable on the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants (4), and listed on Appendix I of CITES (2).

Description

The recently discovered orchid Phragmipedium besseae boasts spectacular and instantly recognisable flowers, which are bright scarlet-orange in colour (3).

Range

Endemic to Ecuador and Peru in South America (3), populations in Peru are now believed to be extinct (4).

Habitat

The most recently reported site occurred in montane forest at around 2,000 metres above sea level (3).

Biology

Phragmipedium besseae is a terrestrial orchid, which grows on moss-covered rocks. Groups may be in bloom for much of the year due to the repeated nature of flowering (3).

Threats

Orchids in this region are under threat from the continued destruction of their native habitat (3). These highly attractive flowers are also in commercial demand and over-collection has driven many populations to the brink of extinction (3).

Conservation

Phragmipedium besseae is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which bans trade in wild-collected plants (2). The protection of remaining habitat will be the key to securing its future in the wild.

Authentication

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

Glossary

Endemic: a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.

References

  1. IUCN Red List (April, 2003)
    www.redlist.org
  2. CITES (April, 2003)
    www.cites.org
  3. Oakeley, H. (2001) Ecuador revisited: Phragmipedium bessae, and other orchids, at home. Orchid Review, 109 (1240): 245 - 247.
  4. Walter, K.S. & Gillett, H.J. [eds] (1998) 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Center. IUCN – The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.