''Selenipedium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of the

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

family (''Orchidaceae'') (Subfamily ''

Cypripedioideae 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 ...

''). The genus has been given its own

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

, Selenipedieae, and

subtribe Subtribe is a taxonomic category ranking which is below the rank of tribe and above genus. The standard suffix for a subtribe is -ina (in animals) or -inae (in plants). The early use of this word is from 19th century. An example of subtribe i ...

, Selenipediinae.Pridgeon, A.M.; Cribb, P.J.; Chase, M.W. & F. N. Rasmussen (1999): Genera Orchidacearum Vol.1, Oxford U. Press. It is abbreviated Sel in trade journals. The name of the genus is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''selen'', which means "

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width ...

", and ''pedium'', which means "slipper" (referring to the

pouch Pouch may refer to: * A small bag such as a packet (container), teabag, money bag, sporran, fanny pack, etc. * Marsupium (disambiguation), especially pouch (marsupial), an anatomical feature in which young are carried * Cadaver pouch, a bod ...

). The seed capsules of these Central and South American

lady's slipper 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''. Th ...

orchids were formerly used as

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the p ...

substitutes, but selenipediums are now rarely cultivated. Partly this is because of the difficulty of doing so, but is probably also due to the relatively small size of the Selenipedium's flower. The wild flower's Amazonian habitat is also under threat, so

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds ( taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed ...

is a risk for all species of Selenipedium. Accepted species include: * '' Selenipedium aequinoctiale'' Garay —

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

* '' Selenipedium buenaventurae'' (Szlach. & Kolan.) P.J.Cribb * ''

Selenipedium chica ''Selenipedium'' is a genus of the Orchidaceae, Orchid family (''Orchidaceae'') (Subfamily ''Cypripedioideae''). The genus has been given its own tribe (biology), tribe, Selenipedieae, and subtribe, Selenipediinae.Pridgeon, A.M.; Cribb, P.J.; Cha ...

'' Rchb.f. * '' Selenipedium dodsonii'' P.J.Cribb * '' Selenipedium isabelianum'' Barb.Rodr. —

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

* '' Selenipedium olgae'' Szlach. & Kolan. * '' Selenipedium palmifolium'' (Lindl.) Rchb.f. & Warsz. * '' Selenipedium steyermarkii'' Foldats — Brazil,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

* '' Selenipedium vanillocarpum'' Barb.Rodr. — Brazil Allied genera include ''

Paphiopedilum ''Paphiopedilum'', often called the Venus slipper, is a genus of the lady slipper orchid subfamily ''Cypripedioideae'' of the flowering plant family Orchidaceae. The genus comprises some 80 accepted taxa including several natural hybrids. The g ...

'', ''

Mexipedium ''Mexipedium'' is a monotypic genus of the Orchid family Orchidaceae, subfamily Cypripedioideae, consisting of only one species, ''Mexipedium xerophyticum''. It is also the single genus of tribe Mexipedieae and subtribe Mexipediinae. Taxonomy a ...

'', ''

Cypripedium ''Cypripedium'' is a genus of 58 species and nothospecies of hardy orchids; it is one of five genera that together compose the subfamily of lady's slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae). They are widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere, inc ...

'' and ''

Phragmipedium ''Phragmipedium'' is a genus of the Orchid family (Orchidaceae) (Subfamily Cypripedioideae) and the only genus comprised in the tribe Phragmipedieae and subtribe Phragmipediinae. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek ''phragma'', which ...

'' - a genus containing several species formerly known as ''Selenipedium'', such as ''Selenipedium caricinum'' (now ''

Phragmipedium caricinum ''Phragmipedium caricinum'' is a species of orchid occurring from Bolivia to Brazil (Rondônia). References External links

Phragmipedium, caricinum Orchids of Brazil Orchids of Bolivia Flora of Rondônia {{Cypripedioideae-stub ...

''), and ''Selenipedium laevigatum'' (now '' Paphiopedilum philippinense'').

References

External links

*
Various Selenipedium samples, and the problems of cultivation

Slipper Orchid Discussion Forum
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1897532, from2=Q2027466, from3=Q138016 Orchid genera Cypripedioideae