Cypripedium himalaicum Rolfe ex Hemsl 1892 SECTION Cypripedium SUBSECTION Macrantha Photo courtesy of Carson Whilow and his Orchid Mall
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Common Name The Himalayan Cypripedium - In China Gao Shan Shao Lan
Flower Size 3" [7.5 cm]
Found from the Chinese Himalayas, eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and the western Himalayas as a medium sized, cold to cool growing terrestrial in thin stoney soils in open woodland clearings, under small shrubs on steep hillsides, among grass-clad limestone boulders in crevasses at elevations of 2000 to 5000 meters with a short, erect, sparsely pubescent stem carrying 3 to 4, ovate-elliptic to oblong, acute, slightly pubescent on upper surface, glabrous underneath leaves that blooms in the late spring and summer on a erect, pubescent, single flowered, to 8" [20 cm] long inflorescence with waxy, brittle, very fragrant flowers and no subtending leafy bract.
Synonyms Cypripedium macranthum var. himalaicum (Rolfe ex Hemsl.) Kraenzl. 1897
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of Sikkim-Himalaya Part 1 King & Pantling 1898 drawing ok; The Orchids of North-Western Himalaya Vol IX Part II Duthie 1906; Die Orchideen #4 13-16 tafel 5 Rudolph Schlechter 1971 photo ok; Orchids of Kumaun Himalayas Pangtey, Samant and Rawat 1991; Beautiful Orchids of Nepal Rajbhandari & Bhattarai 2001; Orchids of Bhutan Pearce & Cribb 2002; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007 drawing ok; Flora of China Vol 25 Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2009; Flora of China Vol 25 Illustrations Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2010 drawing ok
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