Orchid Borealis

Paphiopedilum appletonianum var. hainanense was originally described as P. hainanense , but it is considered to be a variety of P. appletonianum .  As the name suggests, this variety is from southwest  Hainan Island , China, located close to the border of China and Vietnam. So it is somewhat separated from mainland populations; the mainland  P. appletonianum can be found in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.  The variety was originally differentiated by more brightly colored flowers, and more boldly tessellated leaves than the mainland plants.  However, this widespread species shows a large amount of variations in both foliar and floral morphologies. Averyanov et al (2003), which is an excellent book, illustrates the amazing range of natural variations in the shape of staminodal shields, leaf coloration and the lip shapes of P. appletonianum .  The elevation range of P. appletonianum var. hainanense is 457-609m (1500-2000ft, Fowlie 1987). It is...

Dendrobium officinale is a relatively wide-spread species, and they used to be relatively abundant in the past.  However, they are endangered from over-collection.  The purpose of the collection is not for orchid growers, but for its usage as a traditional Chinese medicine, "Tiepi Fengdou", which is the dried stem (cane, pseudobulb) of this species. The shortage in supply and the high price of the cane ($3000/kg; Ding et al. 2002) is driving the over-collection. The fresh stems can be chewed, juiced, or incorporated into cooking.  Traditionally, this herbal medicine was used for nourishing Yin by clearing away heat-evil, stomach digestive problems, cough suppressant, anti-cancer, and prolonging life (Ding et al., 2002).  While it is difficult to scientifically test some of these aspects such as nourishing Yin, some other benefits of D. officinale are confirmed by modern science (reviewed in Tang et al 2017).  Many compounds have been isolated from the speci...