Beard Carrying Paphiopedilum

This orchid grows in soil, on rocks, or on tree trunks in limestone habitat types. It produces 4 to 6 linear, solid green leaves of 8–20 centimetres (3.1–7.9 in) long and 0.5–2 centimetres (0.20–0.79 in) wide. Its light green, shortly pubescent inflorescence measuring up to 16 centimetres (6.3 in) blooms a single flower of up to 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in) wide on a hairy brownish stalk, with peak flowering occurs from October to December. The dorsal sepal is white with a greenish or brownish spot at the base. The synsepal is pale green and the petals are brownish with pale edges. The staminode is yellow. A natural albino form is available, P. barbigerum fma. aureum. This species is pollinated by hoverflies, in particular Allograpta javana and Episyrphus balteatus.

P. barbigerum grows in southern China, specifically around the upstream of the Xi River within the Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangxi areas, together with northern Vietnam, where it grows in elevations of 300–1,200 metres (980–3,940 ft) with mean temperatures of 11–28 °C (52–82 °F). The Vietnamese population is known as a variant, P. barbigerum var. lockianum, originally described in 2002. The Thai population, described in 2022, is known as Paphiopedilum barbigerum var. lannaense.

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