1887年由Sander苗圃的採集人引入歐洲栽培，隔年（1888）由萊興巴哈（Reichenbach）以 Cypripedium rothschildianum 發表，1892年由Stein移入兜蘭屬，種小名紀念贊助人斐迪南．德．羅斯柴爾德男爵（Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, 1839–1898）。發表當時產地卻被公開標示為「新幾內亞」（1890年《柯蒂斯植物學雜誌》圖版即如此標註，苗圃商Linden甚至以「C. neoguineense」之名販售）——真實產地京那巴魯山因此成謎數十年，一般相信是Sander苗圃刻意誤導以保護採集地、避免競爭對手循線找到，直到1950年代末才有人在京那巴魯山麓重新尋獲野生族群，詳見「你可能不知道」。
同節近緣種包括本系列已收錄的 P. sanderianum（桑德氏兜蘭），以及 P. stonei、P. philippinense，花型花色相近。栽培圈也流通以本種配出的人工雜交後代——例如本店目前另有的 Prince Edward of York（P. rothschildianum × P. sanderianum），以及 Lady Rothschild（並非本種與另一野生種的直接雜交，而是本種與複合雜交品系 Lady Isobel 配出的後代，親本較為複雜）。市面上偶有未正確標示親本的雜交苗被誤當純種販售，購買時建議確認來源標示是否清楚。
栽培社團（Napa Valley Orchid Society）資料建議夏季日溫約28–29°C、夜溫約16–17°C，冬季日溫約26–27°C、夜溫約15–17°C；美國蘭花學會（AOS）兜蘭屬栽培指南把本種歸入「暖房型」多花類群，給出夜溫約16–18°C、日溫約21–29°C的區間，兩者方向一致、數字相近，可互相印證。重點是要有明顯的日夜溫差——AOS另一篇關於近緣種 P. philippinense 的文章指出，日夜溫差達6°C以上有助於誘導開花。栽培者回報：長期維持單一恆溫、缺乏日夜溫差，容易導致葉尖枯萎、根莖徒長、花苞中途萎縮等退化徵狀。
資料來源：POWO (Kew)、IPNI、van der Ent, van Vugt & Wellinga (2015, Biodiversity and Conservation 24(7): 1641–1656，本文僅取得摘要)、IUCN紅皮書（Rankou, 2015）、CITES公約條文（第七條第四項）與CITES植物委員會文件、slipperorchids.info 物種資料表（rothschildianum／sanderianum／emersonii）、維基百科（含其引用來源）、美國蘭花學會（AOS）兜蘭屬與P. philippinense栽培文章、St. Augustine Orchid Society、Napa Valley Orchid Society栽培資料、Brinkman, The Orchid Column (2013)、Koopowitz, Orchids and Their Conservation (2001，轉引自上述文章)、SlipperTalk栽培者論壇與Orchids Limited商業育苗場資料（僅作栽培實務交叉參考）。各方數據分歧處（海拔範圍、花徑、光照、澆水作法）本文以範圍與並陳觀點呈現，不做武斷取舍；部分僅見單一來源的記載（如1979年第三族群、1980年代復育失敗、菲利普親王軼事）已特別標註。
Paphiopedilum rothschildianum Care Guide
Paphiopedilum rothschildianum (Rchb.f.) Stein (1892) — section Coryopedilum, endemic to Mount Kinabalu, Borneo
Native distribution (after POWO / van der Ent et al. 2015 abstract; exact wild coordinates withheld for conservation reasons)
🏔️ Single-mountain serpentine endemic🌸 2–6 flowers, long near-horizontal petals☀️ Brighter-growing than most Paphiopedilum⚖️ CITES Appendix I — a genus-wide rule, not a special case
🌎 Plant Data
Origin
Endemic to the Mount Kinabalu area, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. A reported extension onto neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon could not be independently confirmed from the sources used here, so it is not emphasised.
Collection
Introduced to European cultivation in 1887 through Sander & Sons. Reichenbach described it as Cypripedium rothschildianum in 1888, naming it for patron Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839–1898); Stein moved it to Paphiopedilum in 1892. At the time of description its origin was publicly given as "New Guinea" (the 1890 Curtis's Botanical Magazine plate is captioned that way, and the trade sold it as C. neoguineense) — the true Kinabalu locality stayed uncertain for decades, widely believed to have been deliberately obscured by Sander's nursery to protect the site from rival collectors, until it was rediscovered in the late 1950s. See "Did You Know" below.
Taxonomy
A true species in section Coryopedilum. Subgenus placement differs between authors — Karasawa & Saito (1982) place the section in subgenus Polyantha, while Cribb's 1998 Kew monograph places it in subgenus Paphiopedilum itself; this guide presents both rather than picking one.
Look-alikes
Close relatives in the same section include P. sanderianum (also covered in this series), P. stonei, and P. philippinense, all with similar flower shape and colour. Hybrids bred from this species also circulate — e.g. our own Prince Edward of York (P. rothschildianum × P. sanderianum) and Lady Rothschild (not a direct cross with another wild species, but with the complex hybrid Lady Isobel). Unlabeled or mislabeled hybrid seedlings are occasionally sold as pure species, so check the parentage on the listing.
Habitat
Steep serpentine (ultramafic) rock faces and recurring small landslides, rooted in bare-rock crevices with a thin layer of moss and herbaceous litter. Cultivation sources commonly describe it growing on slopes above streams, though a precise field-measured distance is not well documented.
Elevation
A 2015 peer-reviewed habitat-ecology paper (van der Ent et al., Biodiversity and Conservation; abstract only available here) gives roughly 500–1,800 m. An older cultivation datasheet gives a narrower 500–900 m. The two diverge considerably; both are given here rather than collapsed into one unsupported middle figure.
Size
Per the slipperorchids.info species datasheet: 4–8 plain green leaves (no mottling) to 60 cm long and 4–5 cm wide; inflorescence to 45 cm, carrying 2–6 flowers. Flower span (petals fully extended) is reported differently by different sources — about 14–35 cm per that datasheet, versus about 13–33 cm per a source cited on Wikipedia. The long, near-horizontal petals remain one of the most striking features in the genus.
Bloom Season
A single source reports a wild flowering peak in April–May; this guide found no second source to cross-check it. Bloom timing in cultivation varies with plant maturity and growing conditions.
Fragrance
Growers and commercial nurseries consistently report no noticeable scent; no source found supports a claim of fragrance.
Conservation
The entire genus Paphiopedilum (together with the related slipper-orchid genus Phragmipedium) is listed on CITES Appendix I — the convention's strictest tier, but as a genus-wide rule rather than special treatment for this species alone (see "Did You Know"). Under Article VII.4, only artificially propagated plants raised from legally obtained parent stock, for commercial purposes, are treated as Appendix II for trade — and an Appendix II export permit is still required; the conditions are fairly specific. IUCN independently assessed the species as Critically Endangered in 2015 (assessor: Rankou) — this is the assessment that actually reflects this species' own situation: per an older account (Cribb), only a handful of wild population sites remain, poaching pressure continues even inside protected park land, and a 1980s reintroduction attempt reportedly failed after the planting site burned (this detail rests on a single source). Prices as high as US$5,000 per plant have been reported historically, though legally propagated seedlings are now considerably more accessible.
💧 Care Data
Difficulty
High — this species wants noticeably more light than most Paphiopedilum, matures slowly, and benefits from a real day/night temperature swing; prior experience with the genus is recommended.
Light
⚠️ Clearly brighter-growing than most Paphiopedilum. Group-level guidance for multiflorals (St. Augustine Orchid Society) suggests roughly 2,000–3,000 foot-candles; some hobbyists growing this species specifically under lights report success around 2,500–2,800 fc (a single forum report, not an independent study). Either way, raise light gradually with good airflow to avoid scorch.
Month
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
High °C
23
24
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
24
24
24
Low °C
16
16
17
18
18
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
Source: CRU climatology for Kota Kinabalu (sea level), adjusted to ~1,000 m (a mid-point of this species' known elevation range) at the standard lapse rate of 0.6°C per 100 m. Not an on-site measurement — for cross-reference only.
Temperature
The Napa Valley Orchid Society's figures suggest summer days around 28–29°C/nights 16–17°C, and winter days around 26–27°C/nights 15–17°C. The AOS Paphiopedilum culture sheet places this species in its "warm" multifloral group, with nights around 16–18°C and days around 21–29°C — broadly consistent with the above rather than contradicting it. What matters most is a genuine day/night swing: AOS's article on the related P. philippinense notes that a swing over 6°C helps trigger flowering. Growers report that a flat, unvarying temperature regime tends to cause leaf-tip dieback, leggy growth and stalled buds.
Humidity
Moderate-to-high humidity with strong air movement is generally recommended; the native habitat is wet but open and well-ventilated, so stagnant, overly damp conditions in cultivation should be avoided.
Media
⚠️ This species grows on magnesium-rich, mildly acidic serpentine rock (pH roughly 5.8–6.7), with low nitrogen measured in its leaf tissue; elevated nickel and chromium are typical of serpentine soils generally, though no on-site soil measurements for this species were found here. Either way, this is not limestone or calcareous soil — the opposite of this series' limestone species, P. sanderianum and P. emersonii. The common idea that "Paphiopedilum all come from limestone and need added calcium" was never a genus-wide rule to begin with, and it certainly doesn't apply here (see "Did You Know"). Growers commonly use a fast-draining mix of fine bark, charcoal, perlite and sphagnum.
Watering
Growers disagree on whether the mix should dry slightly at the surface between waterings — some report best results keeping it evenly moist year-round, others let the surface dry briefly first, and both approaches have reported success. Plants are large with a dense root system, and poor drainage readily causes rot, so err toward a very free-draining mix rather than letting roots sit wet.
Fertilizing
Dilute orchid fertilizer applied regularly through active growth; one grower's specific recipe is roughly 30 ppm nitrogen using the MSU formula with reverse-osmosis water, flushing the mix with plain water every two weeks — this is one individual's practice, not an established standard, and is offered only for reference.
Rest Period
Evergreen, with no true deciduous rest. Growers differ on whether a deliberate winter cool-down helps (see Temperature above). First flowering typically takes several years of cultivation, longer under low light.
💡 Did You Know
A lie that held up for decades: This species was collected around Mount Kinabalu and brought into European cultivation in 1887 by the renowned nursery Sander & Sons; Reichenbach formally described it the following year, naming it for the nursery's patron, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. At the time, its origin was publicly given as New Guinea — widely believed to be a deliberate ruse by Sander's nursery to keep rivals from finding the same mountain. The ruse worked: the true locality stayed a mystery for decades, until wild populations were rediscovered at the foot of Mount Kinabalu in the late 1950s. According to orchid historian Koopowitz (2001), flowering plants collected around that time were used to decorate a welcome bower for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during his 1959 visit to Jesselton (today's Kota Kinabalu) — an anecdote that rests on this single source. A third population was reportedly found within the park in 1979 but later lost its protected status; poaching pressure has reportedly never fully stopped.
CITES Appendix I is a genus-wide rule, not a special case: Seeing "CITES Appendix I" next to a plant's name often reads as proof that it's unusually rare or specially protected — but the entire genus Paphiopedilum (along with the related genus Phragmipedium) is one of the few orchid groups listed on Appendix I in its entirety, and plenty of those species are common in cultivation. What actually reflects this particular species' situation is the IUCN Red List's independent 2015 Critically Endangered assessment — a judgment made specifically about this species' own habitat and population status, which is a different thing entirely from the blanket CITES listing.
Harsh rock, and the open light it happens to provide: The serpentine rock this species grows on is magnesium-rich and mildly acidic — chemically harsh ground for most plants. A 2015 ecological study found that, at least under cultivation, the species grows just as well transplanted onto ordinary, non-serpentine media — in other words, it doesn't actually need that particular rock chemistry to survive. It grows there because almost nothing else can tolerate such poor, landslide-prone ground, leaving it to grow in open, competition-free rock faces under far more light than most Paphiopedilum ever see in the wild. That's also the likely explanation for why it tolerates brighter light in cultivation — not a coincidence, but a product of where it actually comes from. And because that ground is serpentine rather than limestone, the common "Paphiopedilum need added calcium" advice doesn't logically apply here.
Sources: POWO (Kew), IPNI, van der Ent, van Vugt & Wellinga (2015, Biodiversity and Conservation 24(7): 1641–1656; abstract only), IUCN Red List (Rankou, 2015), CITES convention text (Article VII.4) and CITES Plants Committee documents, slipperorchids.info datasheets (rothschildianum / sanderianum / emersonii), Wikipedia (and its cited sources), AOS Paphiopedilum culture sheet and P. philippinense article, St. Augustine Orchid Society, Napa Valley Orchid Society, Brinkman, The Orchid Column (2013), Koopowitz, Orchids and Their Conservation (2001, as relayed by the above), SlipperTalk grower forum and Orchids Limited nursery listings (cultivation cross-reference only). Where sources diverge (elevation, flower span, light levels, watering practice) both are given rather than collapsed into one number; details resting on a single source (the 1979 third population, the 1980s reintroduction failure, the Prince Philip anecdote) are flagged as such.
Every slipper orchid has a story, but few have one this theatrical: a famous nursery lying about a mountain, a species presumed gone for decades, and a rediscovery timed, by one account, just in time to decorate a prince's welcome party.
A Collection History Built on a Cover Story
Paphiopedilum rothschildianum entered European cultivation in 1887, brought back by collectors working for the London nursery Sander & Sons — one of the great Victorian orchid-hunting operations. Reichenbach described it the following year as Cypripedium rothschildianum, honouring Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, a patron of the trade. Stein later moved it into the genus Paphiopedilum in 1892.
What makes the story unusual is what happened next: the nursery told the world the plant came from New Guinea. The 1890 Curtis's Botanical Magazine plate says so in print, and rival dealer Linden sold it under the name Cypripedium neoguineense. Sander's actual source, Mount Kinabalu in North Borneo, stayed hidden — almost certainly on purpose, to keep competitors from finding the same mountain and flooding the market. It worked. The species' true home was a matter of guesswork for decades, and it was feared extinct until wild populations turned up again at the foot of Kinabalu in the late 1950s.
The Real Habitat: Landslides, Not Jungle Floor
This is not a shade-loving forest-floor orchid. A 2015 field study on its ecology at the type locality found it growing on serpentine (ultramafic) rock — steep ground that slides periodically, keeping it bare of the dense vegetation that covers most of the mountain. The soil chemistry there is unusual: magnesium-dominated, mildly acidic, and poor in the nutrients most plants need. Few species can tolerate that combination, so the ones that can — this orchid among them — end up growing with almost no competition, in open, sun-exposed rock faces rather than shaded understorey.
The same study found something that reframes how to think about its care: moved onto ordinary soil, away from the serpentine rock, the species grew just fine. It isn't chemically dependent on that mineral cocktail — it simply has the ground to itself there, because nothing else wants it.
Temperature: A Real Swing Matters More Than a Number
Cultivation sources differ slightly on exact figures, but they agree on the shape of what this plant wants: warm days, cooler nights, and a clear gap between the two. Something in the range of 24–29°C by day and 15–18°C by night covers most of the published guidance. The gap itself may matter as much as the absolute numbers — a related multifloral slipper orchid, P. philippinense, is documented to flower more reliably with a day/night swing over 6°C, and growers of P. rothschildianum report that a flat, unchanging temperature tends to produce weak growth: dieback at the leaf tips, stretched new growths, buds that stall partway.
Light: The One Place This Orchid Breaks the Paphiopedilum Rules
Most Paphiopedilum are forest-floor plants that want filtered, fairly low light. This species, true to its open, landslide-scoured habitat, wants considerably more — guidance for the multifloral group as a whole runs 2,000–3,000 foot-candles, and some growers running this species specifically under supplemental lighting report pushing it even higher. The safe approach is the boring one: raise light gradually, keep air moving, and watch the foliage for the first sign of bleaching or scorch rather than assuming the published number is a target to hit on day one.
Media and Water: Drainage First
Because the native rock is acidic and nutrient-poor rather than calcareous, this is one slipper orchid that doesn't call for the lime or dolomite some growers add as a matter of habit for other Paphiopedilum. A fast-draining bark-based mix — fine bark, charcoal and perlite, often with a little sphagnum for moisture retention — is the common choice. On watering, growers are genuinely split: some keep the mix evenly damp year-round, others let the surface dry briefly between waterings, and both report healthy plants. What isn't disputed is that this is a large plant with a substantial root system, and standing water is the faster way to lose it to rot.
Feeding and Flowering
Regular, dilute feeding through active growth is standard practice; one grower's specific approach — roughly 30 ppm nitrogen with reverse-osmosis water, flushed with plain water every couple of weeks — is one individual's recipe rather than an industry standard. Flowering, when conditions line up, typically takes several years to reach from a young plant, slower still if light is kept too low.
The Fragrance Question
No scent to speak of. Growers and commercial nurseries alike report it as unscented, and nothing in the record here supports claims otherwise — this is a species grown for its form, not its perfume.
Why It's Worth Growing
Few orchids carry this much documented history attached to a living plant — a nursery's cover story, a decades-long disappearance, a conservation status that places it among the most strictly regulated plants in trade. Legally propagated seedlings now mean growing one doesn't draw on the wild population that story is actually about; a Critically Endangered species surviving on a handful of mountain slopes is precisely the kind of plant where cultivated stock matters.
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