Paphiopedilum kolopakingii

The Conflicted Seeds exhibition is in the space that will soon be the Museum of Zoology in Cambridge, next door to an office I work in. It draws attention to, amongst other things, all Critically Endangered species, inviting visitors to write over a species on its wall. I chose Paphiopedilum kolopakingii, a species of slipper orchid from Borneo because I have been to Mr Kolopaking's orchid nursery in Java. He's an interesting guy, being the first person to be imprisoned in the U.S. for orchid smuggling. Very nice in person though, if a bit suspicious of a PhD student studying the orchid trade.