Paphiopedilum lowii (Lindl.) Pfitzer 1895 Subgen Paphiopedilum Sec. Pardalopetalum Hallier & Pfitzer Photo courtesy of Jay Pfahl ©2006

Inflorescence Photo courtesy of Peter Maxwell

Plant and Flowers Photo courtesy of Nik Fahmi and his Vortex Orchid Page

Plant in situ on cliffwall Mulu NP Borneo

Colony on cliff wall Borneo Photo courtesy of Peter Maxwell

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Common Name Low's Paphiopedilum [English Orchid Enthusiast 1800's]

Flower Size 3 to 5 3/4" [7.5 to 14 cm]

This medium sized, hot to warm growing, multiflowered lithophyte occurs in lowland forests on humus-filled hollows of limestone rocks and boulders in leaf detrius, terrestrial in grasslands with scrub or rarely lithophytic species has 4 to 6, linear to narrowly elliptic, fleshy, clear dark green leaves, is found on large trees in intermitent full sun at altitudes of 200 to 1700 meters and hails from Malaya, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Borneo where it blooms in the spring and summer on a terminal, erect to arching, 25 to 40" [62 to 100 cm] long, nodding, green mottled purple, pubescent inflorescence with elliptic, yellow marked with purple, pubescent floral bracts that are 1/3 the length of the ovaries holding 2 to 7 successive opening flowers.

Synonyms Cordula lowiana [Lindley] Rolfe 1912 ; Cypripedium cruciforme Zoll. & Morel 1854; *Cypripedium lowii Lindl. 1847; Paphiopedilum lowii f. aureum (P.J.Cribb) P.J.Cribb 1997; Paphiopedilum lowii var. aureum P.J.Cribb 1990; Paphiopedilum lowii var. lynniae (Garay) O.Gruss & Roeth 1997; Paphiopedilum lynniae Garay 1996

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Von Java J.J.Smith 1905; Orchids of Java Comber 1990; A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994; Orchids of Borneo Wood, Shim & Lamb Vol 3 1997; The Genus Paphiopedilum vol 1 Braem 1998; Orchids of Sumatra Comber 2001;

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