About
A historically significant and magnificent slipper orchid, *Paphiopedilum insigne* is notable for its showy flowers, which earned it the Latin name meaning 'badge of honor.' It was highly prized by European and American collectors in the 19th century, leading to significant wild rarity.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant is a terrestrial herb with 5–6 leathery, ligulate leaves, up to 32 cm long and 2.5–3 cm wide, which are light green with purple spotting at the base. The flowers are 7–12 cm wide, featuring a dorsal sepal with a white apical portion and raised purple spots, linear-oblong petals that are yellow-brown, and a helmet-shaped lip that is yellow or yellowish-green with purple-brown shading.
Distribution & habitat
Native to the Khasi hills in the Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya, and the adjoining Sylhet region of Bangladesh, with reports also coming from northwest Yunnan in China.
History & etymology
The name insigne is derived from the Latin word meaning 'badge of honor.' It was first discovered in the Khasi Hills in Meghalaya by William Griffith, though it was originally described based on a specimen from the Sylhet region.
Conservation
The species is very rare due to ruthless collection for international trade in the 19th and 20th centuries, current poaching for regional trade, and habitat destruction.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Thailand, India, China, Myanmar
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy