| Paphiopedilum ooii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cypripedioideae |
| Genus: | Paphiopedilum |
| Species: | P. ooii |
| Binomial name | |
| Paphiopedilum ooii Koop. (1999) | |
Paphiopedilum ooii is a species of slipper orchid native to Mount Kinabalu on Borneo. It is named after Michael Ooi, a slipper orchid enthusiast from Malaysia. [2]
P. ooii is known as an obligate ultramafic species. [3] Its flowers are 3 centimetres (1.2 in) wide, large sized, with warm to cool growing, and grows on terrestrial or lithophyte on rocks with 6–8 leaves that are characterised as suberect, oblong-lanceolate, rounded, and dark green in color. The species blooms in 4 to 12 flowered inflorescence in the winter characterized as terminal, erect, and arcuate, with length spanning to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft). It is similar morphologically to P. kolopakingii , but can be distinguished by its shorter and ovate dorsal sepal, spirally twisted petals, a shorter lip and a white staminode with a less hairy margin. [2]
Paphiopedilum ooii is found in a single location on Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo, in Sabah state of Malaysia. It is often a lithophyte growing on rocks, cracks and crevices in cliffs near rivers and slopes of eroded serpentine, within altitudes of 600–1,100 metres (2,000–3,600 ft) and 1,500–1,600 metres (4,900–5,200 ft) [3] above sea level. [1]
The known population is very small, existing only in a single location in Kinabalu Park, [3] estimated at 40 individuals. It is threatened with habitat loss from human activities and from commercial collecting. Its population is declining, and its conservation status is assessed as Critically Endangered. [1] By 2015, the single population was recorded to be disappeared due to illegal poaching. [3]
