Paphiopedilum emersonii Koop. & P.J. Cribb 1986 SUBGENUS Parvisepalum SECTION Emersonianum Aver. & Cribb
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Photo by Eric Muehlbauer
to 
LATE
Common Name Emerson's Paphiopedilum [American orchid enthusiast Emerson 'Doc' Charles.] - In China Bai Hua Dou Lan
Flower Size to 4" [to 10 cm]
Text by Yassir Islam
Found in the Yunnan provinvce in China and northern Vietnam in primary, semi-deciduous to evergreen, broadleafed, open, dry forests on very steep slopes and shady cliffs of very eroded crystaline limestone at elevations of 460 to 750 meters as a small sized, warm to hot growing lithophytic species with 4 to 7, distichous, coriaceous, glossy green above pale green below, ligulate to oblong, acute to obtuse leaves that are distinctly keeled beneath that blooms in the late spring on an erect, shorter, to 6" [15 cm] long, single flowered, whitish, pubescent inflorescence subtended by a papery, elliptic, acute shorter than the ovary floral bract and carrying a large flower with a slightly sweet to chocolate scent and was discovered as recently as 1986. This species should be kept wetter year round and given even fertilizer while growing and a lessening as growth slows.
Paph emersonii belongs to the parvisepalum(parvi) section of paphs, exhibiting the characteristic inflated balloon like pouch. Reputed to be a slow grower and a recalcitrant bloomer, this plant bloomed in the spring in a 3" pot on a single growth with a single flowered, pubescent inflorescence that has a papery, elliptic bract. The large size of the bloom is another characteristic of this species, and indeed of this section, and larger growing cultivars can have flowers more than 4" [10 cm] across.
Synonyms Paphiopedilum emersonii f. album O.Gruss & Petchl. 2002; Paphiopedilum emersonii f. luteum Braem 2001; Paphiopedilum emersonii var huonglanae [Tich] Tich 1998; Paphiopedilum huonglanae Tich 1998;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchid Digest Vol 51 No 2 1987 photo fide; Schlechteriana Vol 2 No 1 1991 photo back page ad fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 58 No 2 1994; Orchid Digest Vol 59 No 3 1995 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 No 1 1999 photo; The Genus Paphiopedilum Vol 1 & 2 Braem 1999; Native Orchids of China in Colour Singchi, Zhanhuo and Yibo 1999 photo fide; Oasis Vol 1 No 3 2000 photo; Australian Orchid Review Vol 65 No 6 2000 photo as P emerson f luteum; Lindleyana Vol 15 No 4 2000; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 40 pg 2492 - 2564 Brieger 2000; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 6 2004 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 3 2005 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 71 No 1 2007 photo fide; Orchids of Vietnam, Illustrated survey, part 1 Averyanov 2008; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide; A Field Guide to the Orchids of China Singchi, Zhongjian, Yibo, Xiaohua and Zhanhuo 2009 photo fide; Flora of China Vol 25 Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2009; Flora of China Vol 25 Illustrations Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2010 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #2 2011 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 76 #4 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #7 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #11 2012 photo fide Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 81 #3 2017 photo fide; Atlas of Native Orchids of China Vol 1 Jin Xiaohua, Li Jianwu and Ye Deping 2019 photo fide
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