Tropical Slipper Orchids Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium Species and Hybrids

About this book

Distinguished by a prominent pouchlike sac which resembles a ballroom slipper and is often decorated with warts, hairs, or stripes, the flowers of slipper orchids may be ugly or pretty, depending on your point of view. In either case, they are captivating to amateur and professional orchids growers alike and indeed may be the most poplar group of orchids in cultivation.

The tropical slipper orchids in cultivation come from two major genera, Paphiopedilum from Southeast Asia and Phragmipedium from Central and South America, and one minor genus, Mexipedium from Mexico. Tens of thousands of hybrids have been made using paphiopedilums and phragmipediums, and each year hundreds more are introduced. All are surrounded by mystique, and all can be grown as houseplants or greenhouse plants. Descriptions of the species are organized into alliances which are of horticultural importance.

The five most important species for breeding exciting hybrids are treated in a separate chapter. The last ten chapters introduce the best and mnost desirable hybrids, again by alliance. Connoisseurs and beginners alike will find this a useful reference to one of the most intriguing groups of orchids. A complete, practical guide to growing, collecting, and hybridizing these dainty and intriguing orchids.

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Biography

Harold Koopowitz is professor emeritus of ecology at the University of California at Irvine. Previously, he was the director of the University of California at Irvine Arboretum for twenty years when it specialized in African bulbous and cormous plants. Koopowitz has long-standing interests in the hybridization of a variety of specialist plants, including slipper orchids and bulbs such as daffodils, clivias, and adeniums. He has traveled extensively to study orchids in the wild and is diligent in his efforts to encourage discussion about endangered plants. The results of his devotion include numerous scientific papers on orchids, deforestation, and the effects of long conversion on plant extinctions. He is a long-standing member of the conservation committee of the American Orchid Society and a member of the Orchid Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission. In 2003 he was awarded the Herbert Medal, the highest honor the International Bulb Society can bestow upon a person for meritorious achievement in advancing the knowledge of bulbous plants. The author of several books on horticulture and conservation, Koopowitz is currently editor-in-chief for the Orchid Digest. He resides in Santa Ana, California.