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Paphiopedilum callosum

Species of orchid From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paphiopedilum callosum
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Paphiopedilum callosum is a species of slipper orchid found from Indochina to northern Peninsular Malaysia. Various hybrids forms are successfully cultivated, although its cultivation is considered to be difficult.[2][3] It has been investigated and shown promising results in the treatment of cancer.[4]

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
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Taxonomy

P. callosum was originally described as Cypripedium callosum by Reichenbach in 1886, with the epithet was derived from Latin callosus, or "thick-skinned".[2] It was then reclassified into Paphiopedilum in Stein's Orchideenbuch in 1892, in a major reclassification of the then Cypripedium species into Paphiopedilum.[5] A few natural variants are recognized, including var. sublaeve, var. potentianum, var. viniferum, and fma. viridiforum.[2]

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Description

P. callosum grows on deep leaf litter, and occasionally on mossy boulders. It consists of 3 to 5 leaves of 10–20 centimetres (3.9–7.9 in) long and 3–5 centimetres (1.2–2.0 in) wide, with its upper surface being mottled pale and dark green, while the under side is sometimes purple-suffused, and ciliate basal margins. Its purple, pubescent inflorescence measures 12–25 centimetres (4.7–9.8 in) in height, and consists of a single flower 8–11 centimetres (3.1–4.3 in). Peak flowering occurs from April to June.[2]

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Distribution

P. callosum is available from the middle and southern part of Indochina to northern Malay Peninsula, in elevations of 300–1,300 metres (980–4,270 ft) and a mean temperature of 19–24 °C (66–75 °F), and grows along rivulets in closed forests over granite and sandstone.[2]

Biochemical profile

An extraction study in 2020 discovered a novel stilbenoid, which was identified as a topoisomerase I inhibitor, with varying degrees of cytotoxicity towards human cancer cell lines.[4]

References

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