''Paphiopedilum niveum'' is a species of
orchid occurring from
peninsular Thailand
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded ...
to
peninsular Malaysia. It is best known on
Pulau Langkawi
Langkawi, officially known by its sobriquet Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah ( ms, Langkawi Permata Kedah ), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) locate ...
, a group of islands off the coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Over-collecting from these islands has made the species quite scarce. This orchid grows in cracks on limestone cliffs just above sea level. It is small, only 10 cm across, with flowers that are 5–6 cm across. It flowers from December to August, peaking in April and May. This orchid, and the Thai variety, Paph. niveum var. Ang Thong, have been hybridised extensively, and are easy to grow.
[Teoh, Eng-Soon. Orchids of Asia. Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2009.]
References
niveum
{{Cypripedioideae-stub