Paphiopedilum druryi
Drury’s Paphiopedilum
Family Orchidaceae
About
The only slipper orchid of southern India, confined to the Agastyamalai Hills. Commercial collecting devastated it after its 1972 rediscovery.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Shade-loving: roughly 1,000–2,000 foot-candles, such as an east or west window or a shaded south window. General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Keep the mix evenly moist but never soggy; do not leave the pot standing in water. General guidance for the genus
- Humidity
- Moderate, about 40–50%; a tray of damp gravel helps, with steady air movement. General guidance for the genus
- Temperature
- Nights about 13–22 °C (55–72 °F), days 21–29 °C (70–85 °F); mottled-leaf and multi-flowered types prefer the warmer end, plain green-leaved types the cooler end. General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Fine to medium fir bark with perlite, sand or sphagnum; limestone-dwelling species appreciate added limestone chips or oyster shell. General guidance for the genus
- Pot
- Repot about every two years, or sooner if the mix breaks down. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Divide established clumps into groups of three to five growths; single growths may take time to flower. General guidance for the genus
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Long, stout leaves and an erect hairy stalk 18–23 cm long bearing one flower; the broad, forward-bent dorsal sepal is greenish to yellow. Flowers May–June.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to the Agastyamalai Hills of southern India.
History & etymology
Described by Richard Henry Beddome in 1870 and named after Heber Drury, an amateur botanist in Travancore who collected the first specimens. It was not seen again until 1972.
Conservation
Wild populations were decimated by collectors. It is protected by the Indian government and listed by CITES and on the IUCN Red List.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- India
- IUCN status
- Critically endangered
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- Temperature
- Nights about 13–22 °C (55–72 °F), days 21–29 °C (70–85 °F); mottled-leaf and multi-flowered types prefer the warmer end, plain green-leaved types the cooler end.
- Humidity
- Moderate, about 40–50%; a tray of damp gravel helps, with steady air movement.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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