Paphiopedilum rothschildianum
Rothschild's slipper orchid, the 'Gold of Kinabalu', is a large multifloral slipper orchid known only from a few sites in and around Kinabalu Park, Sabah. It grows on steep ultramafic (serpentinite) landslide slopes and cliff ledges, often a few metres above streams, where recurring landslides and poor soil keep the vegetation open. In culture it is a warm, bright-growing slipper that needs more light than most Paphiopedilum to flower, and it is slow to reach flowering size.
Where it grows wild
On steep ledges and landslide slopes of serpentinite in open pioneer shrub. Plants root in leaf litter and humus over rock, as lithophytes on cliff ledges or as terrestrials in the thin ultramafic soil, often about 6–12 m above flowing streams. The soil is slightly acidic (pH about 5.8–6.7), magnesium-dominated and very low in phosphorus and potassium. Competition is kept down by recurring landslides and harsh soil chemistry rather than by shade.
A field study gives 500–1800 m on the ultramafic landslides; older culture literature gives 500–1200 m. The measured records carry no usable elevation.
🔒 Growing it like that
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More Paphiopedilum
Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.