Phragmipedium section Micropetalum (Hallier)Garay
in Orchid Digest 43(4): 133, 1979.
Basionym :
Paphiopedilum section Micropetalum Hallier in Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 14: 46, 1897.
Type species :
Phragmipedium schlimii (Linden & Rchb. f.)Rolfe
Characteristics : The species in the section Micropetalum are characterized by the petals which are in form and colour like the dorsal sepal, but are bigger. The petals are relatively wide and therefore lack the long and narrow shape which is so common with the other species of the genus Phragmipedium.
Species : At the moment the general opinion is that this section consists of five species and
two (colour) forms. The famous red Phrag. besseae is a member of this section. As well as the closely related
Phrag. dalessandroi. Also in this section is the well known Phrag. schlimii and its more recently described
close relatives Phrag. fischeri and Phrag. andreettae. The two colour forms are a yellow form of
Phrag. besseae, known as Phrag. besseae f. flavum, and an almost white form of Phrag.
schlimii which is known as Phrag. schlimii f. albiflorum.
As of June 2002 this section of the genus Phragmipedium has a new member: the spectacular Phrag. kovachii.
It is closely related to the species fischeri and schlimii, but has much larger flowers (up to 18 cm wide) and a stunning
colour. At least that has been the opinion of the various taxonomists since the discovery of this species. However in 2004 Dr. Guido J.
Braem removed Phrag. kovachii from this section and placed it in its own newly created section Schluckebieria.
(see there for further information.)
Halfway 2006 a new species was described as Phrag. andreettae. It is a small flowered species that is closely allied to
Phrag. schlimii and Phrag. fischeri.
| schlimii |
| albiflorum |
| fischeri |
| andreettae |
| besseae |
| flavum |
| dalessandroi |
| kovachii |
| Veitch 1887-1894 |
Stein 1892 |
Pfitzer 1903 |
Fortin 1975 |
L.A. Garay 1979 |
Schoser 1983 |
Hennessy & Hedge 1989 |
L.M. McCook 1989 |
C. Cash 1991 |
O. Gruss 1996 |
L.M. McCook 1998 |
O. Gruss 2003 |
| schlimii | schlimii | schlimii | schlimii | schlimii | |||||||
| (not mentioned)¹ | schlimii var. albiflorum | schlimii f. albiflorum | (not mentioned) | schlimii f. albiflorum | |||||||
| (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | schlimii |
fischeri |
| (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) |
| (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | besseae | besseae | besseae | besseae | |||
| (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (not mentioned) | besseae var. flava | (not mentioned) | besseae f. flavum |
| (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | besseae var. dalessandroi² | besseae | dalessandroi |
| (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | kovachii |
1 - Although Leslie A. Garay does not mention the entity albiflorum he does mention, and I quote: "..., P.
Schlimii, is rather variable especially in the intensity of color and marmoration of petals and lip."
2 - Olaf Gruss mentions that the differences between besseae and dalessandroi are so big that describing it
as a new species would be a wise thing to do. He also mentions that this entity is mentioned at the variety level by Donald F. Wimber at the
14th World Orchid Conference in Glasgow in 1994 and depicted in the proceedings without being officially described. Gruss uses however
the name Phrag. besseae var. dalessandroi hort. in his article.
