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var. superbiens	var. curtisii

Paphiopedilum superbiens (Reichenbach fil.) Stein

• Described: Reichenbach fil. in Bonplandia, 3: 227 (1855)
• Transferred: Stein in Stein's Orchideenbuch, 487 (1892)
• Etymology: Derived from the Latin superus; named for the size and beauty of the bloom.
• Varieties & Forms:
  Paphiopedilum superbiens var. curtisii (Reichenbach fil. in Gardener's Chronicle, 2nd series, 20: 8 (1883)) Braem in Paphiopedilum: 214 (1988)
  Paphiopedilum superbiens fma. sanderae (Curtis in Gardeners' Magazine, new series 58: 303 (1915)) M.W. Wood in Orchid Review 83: 399 (1975)
• Synonyms:
  Cypripedium barbatum var. superbum Morren in La Belgique Horticole, 33:97 (1883)
  Cypripedium barbatum var. veitchii Van Houtte in Flore des Serres, 2nd series, 4:161, t. 1453 (1861)
  Cypripedium veitchianum hort. ex Lemaire in L'Illustration Horticole, 12: tab. 429 (1865)
• Chromosome Count -

  2n =	metacentrics	telocentrics	n.f.
  38	14	24	52

• Chromosome Count - as Paph. curtisii

  2n =	metacentrics	telocentrics	n.f.
  36	16	20	52

Plant Habit

• Leaves: 4-5, 15-24 cm long, 4-7 cm wide, basal margins ciliate, above mottled dark and light green, below flushed with purple at base
• Inflorescence: 1-flowered, 12-23 cm long, purple, shortly purple-pubescent
• Bloom: 6-8 cm wide
• Plant:
  

Habitat Data

• Distribution -
  
• Elevation: 900-1300 m (has been reported at 2200 m)
• Peak Flowering in the Wild: June-July
• Ecology: tropical forest often near running water
• Mean Temperature Range: 20-22°C
• Light: deep shade
• Medium: leafy humus over sandstone-derived soils, Fowlie (1985): pH 5.1
• Water (D-drier, M-moderate, W-wetter) -

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Notes:

• The correct taxonomic position of Paph. superbiens var. curtisii is as yet unresolved.  I include it here as a variety because of its similar morphology and overlapping distribution.  From Cribb (1998): "[Paph. superbiens var. curtisii] can be distinguished by its petals which are narrower and shorter than in the typical variety, the petals always being shorter than the lip."

Sources:

• 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 XXVII, Paphiopedilum curtisii in the Barisan Mountains of Sumatra." Orchid Digest 49, no. 2 (Mar/Apr 1985): 48-52.
• Gruss, O. "Albino Forms of the Slipper Orchids." Orchid Digest 69, no. 4 (Oct/Dec 2005): 204-29.
• Karasawa, K. "Karyomorphological Studies in Paphiopedilum, Orchidaceae." Bulletin of the Hiroshima Botanical Garden 2 (Mar 1979): 1979.

Primary Hybrids

Paph. superbiens x	Hybrid
bellatulum	Mrs. Fred Hardy
concolor	Arnoldianum
niveum	The Pard
boxallii	Adela
charlesworthii	Evadne
druryi	T. B. Haywood
exul	Minerva
fairrieanum	Edwardii
hirsutissimum	Castleanum
insigne	Thorntonii
spicerianum	Picturatum
villosum	Charles Canham
argus	Eustaceanum
barbatum	Superciliare
callosum	Moussetianum
ciliolare	Lachmee
curtisii	Cymatodes
dayanum	George Kittel
hennisianum	Henny Penny
hookerae	Pageanum
javanicum	Sementa
lawrenceanum	Euryale
purpuratum	Dacia
sukhakulii	Lemförde Superkuli
tonsum	Tonso-Superbiens
urbanianum	Blanton Whitmire
venustum	Carrierei
violascens	Phillip Alexander
wardii	Thank Frank
glanduliferum	Patricia Elting
kolopakingii	Loki Booth
lowii	Macropterum
philippinense	Youngianum
rothschildianum	W. R. Lee
sanderianum	Sanderiano-Superbiens
stonei	Morganiae
chamberlainianum	Thyades
glaucophyllum	Memoria Rolf Bolin
primulinum	Jean Brice

Primary Hybrids - registered as Paph. curtisii

Paph. curtisii x	Hybrid
delenatii	Thracios
bellatulum	Chapmanii
concolor	Minnie Ames
godefroyae	Perky
niveum	Cowleyanum
boxallii	Saint Hilda
charlesworthii	Rachel
druryi	Fairy Queen
fairrieanum	Dallas(1910), Fairtisii(1910)
hirsutissimum	Adonis
insigne	Miniatum
spicerianum	Allanianum
villosum	Helios
acmodontum	Rosemarie Herrmann
appletonianum	Marianne Briois
argus	Hurrellianum
barbatum	Kerchoveanum
bullenianum	Gentle Breeze
callosum	Goultenianum
ciliolare	Simile
dayanum	Curtia
hookerae	Quies
lawrenceanum	Gowerianum
mastersianum	Cypheri
purpuratum	Oakesianum(1899), Purpurato-curtisi(1899)
sukhakulii	Oriental Spice
superbiens	Cymatodes
tonsum	Frankeanum
violascens	Paradise Island
glanduliferum	E. Holt
lowii	Svend Brun
philippinense	Clinkaberryanum
rothschildianum	A. de Lairesse
sanderianum	Sanderiano-Curtisii
stonei	Constance
glaucophyllum	Curtophyllum

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Page Created By: Stephen Manza
Last Updated: 10-23-06
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