''Cypripedium tibeticum'' is a species of

slipper orchid Cypripedioideae is a subfamily of orchids commonly known as lady's slipper orchids, lady slipper orchids or slipper orchids. Cypripedioideae includes the genera ''Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium'' and '' Selenipedium''. T ...

in the section ''Cypripedium'' in the subsec. ''Macrantha'' It is native to

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

, and Western

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

).Flora of China v 25 p 27, 西藏杓兰 xi zang shao lan, ''Cypripedium tibeticum''
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Description

''C. tibeticum'' reaches a height of 13-35 cm. Its

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are 3, 7-15 cm by 3.3-7.2 cm and are glabrous (lacking hairs) on both surfaces except towards the tips. Each

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

carries one

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

, produced usually before the leaves have fully developed, and the

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

sheathing the

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

is 5–10.5 cm long. The flower is sub-nodding and very variable in colour from deep maroon to pink. The

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

is glabrous or rarely slightly pubescent or papillose towards the apex, 2–3.2 cm long. The

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

are 3–5.2 cm by 1.8-3 cm, and the petals are 3.6-6 cm by 1.4-2.5 cm. The pouched labellum is 3.5-6 cm long and wide, and the margins of the mouth are crimped all around, the outer surface usually wrinkled. Flowering occurs from May to July. This species is notably variable across its distribution and sometimes it is hard to distinguish from other species such as '' Cypripedium macranthos'' or '' Cypripedium calcicola''. The main distinction from ''C. macranthos'' is the darker flower colour, especially when dried-pressed.

Distribution and habitat

''C. tibeticum'' occurs in Sikkim, Bhutan and western China (Xizang, Yunnan, Sichuan and possibly S. Gansu). It grows in open montane meadows, margins of

coniferous Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

and mixed woodlands, open limestone ledges and screes at elevations of 2300-4600 m. These plants usually form large clumps or colonies.

Taxonomy and naming

Seven specimens collected in southeastern Xizang may suggest natural hybridisation with '' Cypripedium himalaicum''. This orchid is also a parent of '' Cypripedium × wenqingiae'', an hybrid between '' C. farreri'' and ''C. tibeticum''.

Cultivation

Together with its close relatives, this species replaces ''C. macranthos'' in southwestern China and the Himalayan region, and requires growing conditions similar to the latter in some respects. It differs in being more adapted to continental high mountain regions. Hence it needs some protection in winter, especially during frost-free periods, to maintain dormancy. It should not receive too much rain in winter. In summer, it needs constant watering and a fresh and cool atmosphere while receiving full light (avoid the burning sun around noon). It can acclimatise in gardens, but will not grow into big clumps nor become as persistent as C. macranthos. In the wild it is found growing in grassland on limestone and should have a compost with a pH between 6 and 7. It is not a beginner's species. Mixes A, B, C, D (made with coarse sand and some oyster shells), and J. Mix A: One part loam pellets, one part Seramis (or comparable materials like pumice gravel), one part rotten wood, and one part coarse sand. File:Cypripedium tibeticum Orchi 142.jpg, Flower showing variation and plant habit. File:Cypripedium tibeticum.jpg, "Curtis's Botanical Magazine" vol. 132 (Ser. 4 no. 2) tab. 8070, M. S. del. ( = Matilda Smith, 1854–1926), J. N. Fitch lith. ( = John Nugent Fitch, 1840–1927) File:A naturalist in Western China - with vasculum, camera, and gun, being some account of eleven year's travel, exploration, and observation in the more remote parts of the flowery kingdom; (1913) (14595991019).jpg, Large number of specimens in a colony, 1913.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1306346 tibeticum Orchids of China Flora of Bhutan Flora of Sikkim Plants described in 1892