Paphiopedilum chamberlainianum

Paphiopedilum chamberlainianum (Sander) Stein

Described: Sander in Gardener's Chronicle, 3rd series, 11: 194 (1892)
Transferred: Stein in Stein's Orchideenbuch, 461 (1892)
Etymology: Named for Joseph Chamberlain, member of parliament and orchid grower & enthusiast.
Varieties & Forms:
Paphiopedilum chamberlainianum var. kalinae (Braem in Orchis, 93: 18-23 (1995)) <combination never made> - see 'Notes' below
Synonyms:
Paphiopedilum victoria-regina (Sander in Gardener's Chronicle, 3rd series, 11: 194 (1892)) M.W. Wood in Orchid Review, 84: 134 (1976)
Chromosome Count -

2n = metacentrics telocentrics n.f.

34 16 18 50

Leaves: 4-6, up to 30 cm long, 9-11 cm wide, above uniformly green, below purple-spotted at base, basal margins ciliate
Inflorescence: up to 30-flowered, blooming sequentially, up to 60 cm long, purple, white-pubescent
Bloom: 8-10 cm wide

Distribution -
Elevation: 600-800 m
Peak Flowering in the Wild (first flower on the spike): April
Ecology: limestone outcrops near creeks
Mean Temperature Range: 21-23°C
Light: light-moderate shade
Medium: calcareous, usually on mosses with roots clinging to the rock beneath, occasionally in humus and leaf litter between tree roots

Water (D-drier, M-moderate, W-wetter) - from Fowlie 1985: water feeding the plants had a pH of 5.6

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The correct name for this taxon is unclear. Fowlie & Braem refer to it as Paph. chamberlainianum, but Cribb calls it Paph. victoria-regina. I am reserving judgment until I get copies of the original ads placed in the Gardener's Chronicle by Sander.
The status of Paph. chamberlainianum var. kalinae is also an object of debate. Braem (2003), calling it Paph. kalinae, differentiates it by "the extreme pubescence of the outer surface of the flower, its unique coloration, and the relatively large distance between the flower bracts." Cribb (1998) reduces it to the synonomy of Paph. chamberlainianum, saying that Paph. kalinae represents one end of the spectrum of variation of Paph. chamberlainianum. I have chosen to reduce the taxon to Paph. chamberlainianum var. kalinae, a combination which has not yet been made and cannot be made here, due to International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (IBCN) guidelines ruling out the internet as a vessel of official publication.

Braem, Guido J., and Guy Chiron. Paphiopedilum. Saint-Genis Laval, France: Tropicalia, 2003.
Cribb, Phillip J. The Genus Paphiopedilum. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia: Natural History Publications in association with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 1998.
Fowlie, J.A. "Malaya Revisited, Part XXX, Paphiopedilum chamberlainianum on Vestigial Limestone Outcrops of Bukit Tinggi in Sumatra." Orchid Digest 49, no. 5 (Sep/Oct 1985): 164-69.
Karasawa, K. "Karyomorphological Studies in Paphiopedilum, Orchidaceae." Bulletin of the Hiroshima Botanical Garden 2 (Mar 1979): 1979.

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Page Created By: Stephen Manza
Last Updated: 10-7-06
contact: silence882@gmail.com

2n =	metacentrics	telocentrics	n.f.
34	16	18	50