Orchid lady's slipper Paphiopedilum and Cypripedium

Different origins manifest divergent location requirements

The frequent mix-ups of Paphiopedilum and Cypripedium would have less consequences if both orchid genera came from the same habitat. In fact, these lady's slipper orchids are native to different parts of the world. Paphiopedilum thrives in tropical regions such as India, Thailand and Malaysia. In contrast, Cypripedium are native to the northern hemisphere. This results in these clear location divergences:

Paphiopedilum

• In summer at temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius
• In winter at temperatures of 16 to 22 degrees Celsius
• High humidity of 50 to 70 percent

Cypripedium

• In summer in Outdoors at temperatures up to a maximum of 30 degrees
• In winter under a thick blanket of snow down to - 25 degrees Celsius
• Normal humidity

In view of these serious differences, botanists refer to the Paphiopedilum orchid as the Venus shoe and the Cypripedium orchid as the lady's slipper for better identification.

Divergent flowering times

The heterogeneous origin leads to equally heterogeneous heydays. Paphiopedilum orchids bloom indoors under ideal conditions from October to February. Modern hybrids do not shed their flower dress even all year round. From this it follows that the Venusian shoe orchid does not know any rest periods in the true sense. Only the spotted-leaved species need cooler night temperatures of 13 to 16 degrees for flower induction at the end of the growing season.

the hardy Cypripedium orchid takes a completely different course. They bloom for 6 to 8 weeks between May and July. The plant then pulls in its foliage and retreats into its rhizomes in the soil. It rests deep in the ground until March of the next year, only to sprout again.