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Summary

Phragmipedium kovachii is an orchid species found to be new to science in 2001, native to the Andean cloud forests of northern Peru. A species with terrestrial habit and growing in clumps of several individuals, it displays showy pink to purple flowers up to 20 cm (8 in) wide. It is currently considered a critically endangered species by the IUCN, due to overcollection in the wild.

Description

A terrestrial, or lithophytic orchid, Phragmipedium kovachii grows in clumps. The short stems have up to nine leaves each, which are linear-lanceolate in shape, glossy green, and up to 64 cm (25 in) long and up to 5 cm (2 in) wide. They are thick and have an acute tip; the primary vein is prominent beneath. The flower stalk is 20–52 cm (7.9–20.5 in) tall with a solitary flower that is 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) wide. The sepals are broadly elliptic in shape and covered with golden-brown hairs externally, and whitish to rose-pink internally. The petals are pink to dark purple, broadly elliptic to obovate in shape, up to 6 cm (2 in) long, with recurved margins; except for the cup-shaped lip or labellum, which can be up 7.5 cm (3.0 in) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide, and is purple to fuchsia in colour. The fruits are capsules up to 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and up to 0.9 cm (0.35 in) in diameter.

Taxonomy

The first published description of this species was made in June 2002 by John Atwood and Stig Dalström of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and Ricardo Fernandez from the San Marcos National University Herbarium (USM). An independent description prepared by orchid taxonomist Eric Christenson was published just afterwards in July 2002, using the name Phragmipedium peruvianum, which thereby became a synonym of P. kovachii.

It was initially assigned to subgenus Micropetalum; however, it was later moved to its own subgenus Schluckebieria.

Michael Kovach, an...