paphiopedilum helenae

Even within the genus Paphiopedilum is it possible to find stunning miniatures ;P. helenae is one of them . Its stiff ,glossy green leaves are up to 3.2 in/8 cm long and its robust flower grows on an extremely short (1.2-2 in /3-5 cm ) spike . The upper sepal of the flower is greenish -golden -yellow,the petals are colored in a dull shade of brown -and-purple and the lip is purple -red . There is also a higly valued color variation termed P. helenae var. aureum with flowers colored almost uniformly in yellow-to- orange . This limestone -loving ,lithophytic Venus's shoe is not easy to cultivate ;it is necessery to enrich the substrate in the flowerpot with big pieces of limestone. Flowers can be expected in the spring months ;the plant was described in 1996 based on the specimens discovered in northern Vietnam near the Chinees border .