Phragmipedium section Phragmipedium Rolfe
in The Orchid Review 4: 330, 1896.
Synonyms :
Cypripedium section Caudata Kraenzlin in Orch. Gen. et Sp. 1: 13, 1897.
Paphiopedilum section Phragmipedium (Rolfe)V.A. Albert & Börge Pettersson in Lindleyana 9(2): 137, 1994.
Included :
Cypripedium section Uropedium O. Ktze. in Lex. Gen. Phan. 159, 1903.
Type species :
Phragmipedium caudatum (Lindley)Rolfe.
Characteristics : The species of this section are characterized by the very long petals, which are much longer than the sepals. They reach their final length only days after the flower has opened. The flowers on one inflorescence all open almost at the same time.
Species : According to Leslie A. Garay (1979) this section contains four species. Later on in 1984
Phrag. exstaminodium was described and added to this section. Phrag. caudatum is the only member of this
section which is by all botanists indisputably recognized as a true species. The status of the other members varies considerably. Especially
Phrag. wallisii and Phrag. warscewiczianum are still subjects for debate.
All the species in this section show a great resemblance to one another, which could mean that they are closely related. Studies by
Karasawa (1980) show that all species known at the time have a chromosome count of 2n = 28. The research by Frank Stermitz (1981)
concerning the alkaloid content of the species show, because of equal values, a very close relationship between Phrag.
wallisii and Phrag. lindenii. Whereas with Phrag. caudatum and Phrag.
warscewiczianum no alkaloids could be demonstrated. Somewhat later Stermitz also researched Phrag.
exstaminodium material for its alkaloid contents, but none was found.
At the moment the separation of the various forms is most of the time based on the shape of the staminode. The problem with that is, that
for one there is a form which lacks a staminode and two, because the shape of the staminode with the other forms varies considerably all
together.
Olaf Gruss (1993) says, based on the current knowledge, that it is reasonable to classify the members of this section as three species and
two varieties. And that is the ranking I will use for the time being.
| caudatum |
| warszewiczianum |
| popowii |
| exstaminodium |
| lindenii |
| 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 1993 |
L.M. McCook 1998 |
O. Gruss 2003 |
Braem & al. 2004 |
| Cypripedium caudatum | Paphiopedilum caudatum | Phragmopedilum caudatum | caudatum | caudatum | caudatum | caudatum | caudatum | caudatum | caudatum | caudatum | caudatum | caudatum |
| Cypripedium caudatum var. wallisii | Paphiopedilum caudatum var. wallisii | Phragmopedilum caudatum var. wallisii | caudatum var. wallisii | wallisii | wallisii | wallisii | wallisii | wallisii | caudatum var. wallisii | wallisii | caudatum var. wallisii | warszewiczianum |
| Cypripedium caudatum var. warscewiczii | Paphiopedilum caudatum var. warscewiczii | Phragmopedilum caudatum var. warscewiczianum | caudatum var. warscewiczii | warscewiczianum | warscewiczianum | warscewiczianum | caudatum | warscewiczianum | caudatum var. warscewiczianum | caudatum | caudatum var. warscewiczianum | popowii |
| (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (unknown entity) | (not mentioned) | exstaminodium | (not mentioned) | exstaminodium | exstaminodium | exstaminodium | exstaminodium |
| Cypripedium caudatum var. lindenii | Paphiopedilum caudatum var. lindenii | Phragmopedilum caudatum var. lindenii | caudatum var. lindenii | lindenii | lindenii | lindenii | lindenii | lindenii | lindenii | lindenii | lindenii | lindenii |
