Under natural conditions, papiopedilum grows in shaded areas on wet soils. At home, the beauty prefers lighted, ventilated rooms. The top petal of an orchid is compared to a sail, and the bottom one is similar to a shoe or a slipper. Petals of orchids, depending on the variety are painted with different shades and patterns, the plant can be both high and dwarf. This unusual flower has won the love and admiration of many gardeners.
Paphiopedilum apricot (Paphiopedilum armeniacum)
The name papiopedilum comes from the merger of two Greek words: Paphia is one of the names of Venus and pedilon, which means shoe. Orchid is called - Lady's slipper or slipper.
Paphiopedilum armeniacum hails from China and grows in highlands, on hills and rocks. The orchid has beautiful leaves of rich green color, marked with a marble ornament, the back side of the leaf is covered with a dark red dotted pattern. With a small growth of the orchid, the length of the leaves can be up to 15 cm. The unblowed peduncle is pubescent with a light nap and is colored green with a purple blotch. Apricot orchid blooms from December to March. She has bright yellow flowers with wavy petals on the edge up to 11 cm in diameter. The lip of this papiopedilum is round.
Paphiopedilum Appleton (Paphiopedilum appletonianum)
This flower grows in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The plant loves shade and grows in natural conditions on moss-covered stones or stumps. It has long narrow leaves, rather dense, with a juicy green shade, are painted with marble stains. Apleton's orchid blooms in spring with large flowers up to 10 cm in diameter. Petals are elongated, purple-violet with green splashes. 
Important! Orchids are contraindicated in high humidity and stagnant air; under these conditions, the flowers get sick and may die in a short time.
Bearded Paphiopedilum (Paphiopedilum barbatum)
Bearded Pafiopedilum is a popular variety of Venus slipper, breeders appreciate it as the parent of the first artificial hybrid "Harrisianum", bred in 1869.
Leaves with a marble pattern no more than 20 cm in length. The orchid blooms in spring, a purple shade prevails in the color of the flower. The top petal with a white top edge and a pale green center as under a ruler is painted with clear purple stripes. The side petals are colored almost as well, but paler. Large lip lilac-red color. 
Paphiopedilum coarse-haired (Paphiopedilum villosum)
The homeland of this pafiopedilum is India and Indonesia. A tall plant carries a peduncle up to 30 cm tall. In a typical representative of the species, the upper petal is greenish-brown with a white border. The remaining petals are ocher with brown tint. The lip is pierced with the finest veins, colored with pale red or equally expressionless brown. Flowering lasts a long time - from autumn to spring. 
Paphiopedilum is wonderful (Paphiopedilum insigne)
This is another type of winter-flowering papiopedilum. In the wild, it is common in the Himalayas. The leaves are elongated, thin, up to 30 cm long. Flowering continues from September to February. This species is represented by many varieties, and their color is different. The most interesting of them with a predominant coffee shade of side lobes. The top petal has a yellow center with brown splashes and a wide white stripe along the edge. 
Did you know? The most expensive flower in the world is the Gold Kinabalu orchid, its price is $ 5,000 per escape. This is a rare orchid species, it blooms when the plant reaches the age of 15.
Paphiopedilum Lawrence (Paphiopedilum lawrenceanum)
The Orchid Shoe received its name in honor of the President of the Society of Gardeners T. Lawrence. The birthplace of the flower is the island of Borneo. The plant is unpretentious in care and easy to grow. The leaves are bright with divorces, 15 cm in length. The flower is large, the upper petal has a sharp tip. The middle of it is colored green with pronounced stripes, on the edge smoothly turning into a reddish tint on a white background. Glossy lip is dark red. Brown “moles” are scattered along the edge of the side lobes. 
Paphiopedilum is the most brutal (Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum)
A plant with not very wide leaves, as in previous species. The species is common in India, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
Peduncle plants at the base is protected by a kind of cover. At the end of winter, buds begin to develop. Flowers are quite large and fully covered with nap. At the beginning of flowering the upper petal with smooth edges, and as the withering of the edges become wavy. The middle of the upper sail is brown, light greenish at the edge. The side petals are flat at the tips, and closer to the middle center they are gathered in ruff. Their color is saturated purple. 
Important! When planting Pafiopedilum orchids, do not use ceramic pots: the roots of shoes are fixed on the rough walls, and during transplantation, removing the plant from the pot, there is a risk of damaging the roots.
Paphiopedilum Adorable (Paphiopedilum venustum)
An adorable orchid-shoe grows in the mountain woodlands of India and Nepal. Peduncle of the plant is quite tall, up to 23 cm. The side petals in the middle are green or yellow, painted burgundy closer to the edge, the edges of them are undulating. Dark dots are visible along the edges of the petals. The upper petal is shaped like a triangle, pale green with clear stripes. The lip is also indicated by chaotic stripes, on a pale burgundy background. The inner side of the lip is yellowish. Leaves can be elongated and in the form of an ellipse. Some species have broad (up to 5 cm) leaves. The leaves are painted gray-green with marble stains. Paphiopedilum venustum is represented by 8 species, each with its own color. 
Interesting! The tallest orchid grows in Malaysia, it grows to 7.5 m. This is the Grammatophyllum speciosum orchid. The Paphiopedilum sanderianum orchid boasts the largest flower, the petals of which are 90 cm. The smallest flower in diameter, up to 1 mm, is in the orchid Platystele jungermannoides from Central America.
Paphiopedilum snow (Paphiopedilum niveum)
Snowflake Venusa slipper is common in Burma, Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and Kalimantan. The stem of the plant is practically closed with oval green leaves with spots of color, the underside of leaves has a violet-purple hue. This orchid blooms in summer. On the peduncle may be 2 flowers. Flowers are small, up to 7 cm in diameter. The flowers are white with small pinkish dots. All petals are equally colored and have almost the same shape and size. The lip is the same color as the petals, and the yellow stamen above them. 
Paphiopedilum pretty (Paphiopedilum bellatulum)
This species prefers to grow on the moss-covered slopes and cliffs of Burma, Thailand and China.
Orchid leaves are separated by a dark longitudinal stripe, the main background is dark green, diluted with bright patches. On the peduncle one or two flowers with a diameter of about 10 cm. Large rounded petals as if covering the shoe. Petals and white lip with randomly scattered dark crimson spots. This orchid blooms in April. 
Caring for the kind of papiopedilum is the same as for other indoor orchids. Among the variety of varieties, you can choose and high plants, and dwarf, large orchid and miniature rosettes, and the palette of colors and shades will surprise even the most sophisticated taste.
