Paphiopedilum bougainvilleanum or the Bougainville paphiopedilum is a species of slipper orchidendemic to Bougainville and the Solomon Islands. This slipper orchid is rare among enthusiasts, and is difficult to cultivate.[2]
Taxonomy
It was originally described by Stiles and Fowlie in the Orchid Digest in 1971, with its epithet referring to its natural habitat in Bougainville.[3]P. bougainvilleanum is closely similar to P. violascens, and is sometimes referred to as a variant of P. violascens, as described by Koop in 1995.[4]
Description
P. bougainvilleanum grows on forest floors or on trees in wet montane forests over granite, with leaf litter, humus or mosses as medium for growth. The orchid consists of 5 to 7 leaves measuring 14–22 centimetres (5.5–8.7in) long and 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97in) wide, with its upper surface being generally pale green, but faintly mottled with dark green. Its pale green inflorescence has a purple-white pubescent and measures 10–23 centimetres (3.9–9.1in) long, consisting of a single flower around 5 centimetres (2.0in) wide. Peak flowering occurs in late spring and late fall.[3]
Distribution
P. bougainvilleanum is endemic to Bougainville and throughout the Solomon Islands,[5] where it grows in elevations of 1,150–1,850 metres (3,770–6,070ft) and a mean temperature range of 17–18°C (63–64°F).[3]
Conservation
Cribb in 1986 described P. bougainvilleanum as a generally endangered fauna due to over-collecting.[6] IUCN in 2015 designated it as critically endangered due to harvesting and local development.[1]
↑ Defilipps, Robert A. (October 1987). A bibliography of plant conservation in the Pacific islands: endangered species, habitat conversion, introduced biota (Report). National Museum Of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
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