Paphiopedilum curtisii

A very fine Venu's shoe - its flowers attract attention by their extraordinary large lip. Many botanists consider it a variety of P. suberbiens. For years ,the species was known thanks to only to specimens that had been imported to Europe as far back as 1892 and had become the only orginal breeding material for a century to come ! It was not until several years ago that this Venus's shoe was discovered in the wild again . Its leaf rosettes are of a standard appearance;the individual leaves are 10 in/25 cm long with a marbled surface and dark green nervation. The purple flower spikes produce a single flower reaching a height of 12 in /30 cm. The species is variable as to the depth of the color of its flowers featuring a purple-to -dark -purple robust lip. The upper sepal of each flower is whitish and decorated with lengthwise stripes ranging in color between green and purple;the drooping petals sport dark spots on a purple backdrop. Grow it in the same way as the other representatives of the genus . The plant blooms in the spring and comes from limestone rocks in central Sumatra.