Braem, G., Chiron, G. Paphiopedilum. Tropicalia: France 2003. Pp. 19-33.
| Subgenus (Type Species) |
Section | Subsection | Chromosome Count, 2n = | Pollen | Flowers Per Inflorescence | Leaves | Flowers | Petals | Dorsal Sepal | Pouch | Staminode | Closely Related |
| Parvisepalum1 (delenatii) |
26 | granular | one, rarely two | tessellated | smaller than petals | distinctly calceolate; thinly plicate | Subgenus Brachypetalum | |||||
| Brachypetalum2 (concolor) |
26 | viscous | one, rarely two | tessellated | similar to dorsal in shape and coloration | thick walled; ovoid; sometimes pointed; fleshy; not plicate; margins infolded; poorly developed lateral "ears" | Subgenus Parvisepalum | |||||
| Paphiopedilum (insigne) |
26, 30 | viscous | one, rarely two | plain | ovoid; distinctly pointed; fleshy; with well-developed lateral "ears" | |||||||
| Paphiopedilum | lanceolate; gradually widening toward the tip | relatively short | shield inverted heart-shaped with a horn-shaped protuberance | |||||||||
| Ceratopetalum | ||||||||||||
| Stictopetalum | densely hairy | broad; lanceolate; horizontally spreading; "wavy with distinct undulations from the base to the middle portion of the upper margin" | long; slightly constricted | |||||||||
| Thiopetalum | distinct longitudinal middle stripe | distinct longitudinal middle stripe | Section Paphiopedilum | |||||||||
| Sigmatopetalum (venustum) |
32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41 | granular | one, rarely two | tessellated | synsepal distinctly larger than dorsal sepal | shaped like an inverted helmet; well-developed lateral "ears" | shield semi-lunate | |||||
| Sigmatopetalum | ||||||||||||
| Spathopetalum | spathulate; widened behind apex; margins ciliated; base rarely ciliated | indistinct longitudinal stripes; upper half margins strongly incurved | shield nearly circular to oblong rhomboid | |||||||||
| Macronodium | shield relatively large | |||||||||||
| Spathopetalum | "Can only be properly differentiated by the size of the notch in their staminodal shield and by the "clarity" or obscurity" of the mottling of their leaves." | shield rhomboid or cordate, not suborcular | ||||||||||
| Blepharopetalum | linear oblong | not distinctly broadened toward the apex; no distinct purple spots; upper half usually darker than the lower half | white or purple; upper part of margin not strongly curved inward | shield horseshoe shaped, moon-shaped, or inverted heart-shaped | Section Spathopetalum | |||||||
| Punctuatum | narrowly spathulate; gradually widening toward the apex; only slightly ciliate with almost entire margins | |||||||||||
| Planipetalum | narrow oblong; always untwisted; same width over much of their length | narrow oblong; distinctly striped | shield half-moon to horseshoe-shaped | |||||||||
| Barbata | under-surface uniformly pale- green, slightly tinged with purple | margins with well-developed cilia; linear-oblong; twisted near apex | distinct longitudinal stripes | shield semi-orbicular to oblong | ||||||||
| Barbata | warty, long ciliated spots at the margins | large; nearly rounded; widest above the middle; margins gently recurved in the upper half | ||||||||||
| Loripetalum | marginal portion without large, warty ciliate spots; margins uniformly and regularly covered with long black cilia | relatively small and ovate; apical margin slightly curved to the inside; forming a sharp point at the apex | shield semi-orbicular, covered with minute hairs | Subsection Barbata | ||||||||
| Chloroneura | ||||||||||||
| Polyantha (lowii) |
26 | granular | multifloral | plain, fleshy | open nearly simultaneously | shaped like an inverted helmet | ||||||
| Polyantha | narrow; spoon-shaped; roughly blotched with deep purple spots on the basal to middle portions | lateral "ears" on the main lobe | ||||||||||
| Mystropetalum | do not widen toward the apex; strongly twisted | Section Polyantha | ||||||||||
| Mastigopetalum | uniform in size, shape, and color pattern with synsepal | lateral "ears" only on P. randsii; margins curved inward except in P. adductum and P. anitum | ||||||||||
| Cochlopetalum (chamberlainianum) |
30, 32, 34, 36, 37 | granular | multifloral | tessellated | open sequentially | shaped like an inverted helmet | ||||||
1"There is no doubt that these seven plants form a distinct and autonomous entity within the genus, and their combination into the subgenus
Parvisepalum stands without question....It has even been suggested that the
Parvisepalums are to be seen as a link between Cypripedium and Paphiopedilum."
2"Subgenus Brachypetalum and subgenus Parvisepalum are considered to be primitive parts of the genus
Paphiopedilum."
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