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Paphiopedilum druryi

species of plant

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 12, 2026
Entity authorityQ1306383 ↗
Source-derived summary

Paphiopedilum druryi is a species of orchid endemic to the Agastyamalai Hills of southern India. It is the only southern Indian orchid species in the genus. Rediscovered in 1972 after its original description in 1870, wild populations were decimated by commercial collectors and it is one of the few plants that are listed as threatened by the Indian government and included in CITES and the IUCN Redlist.

The species was described by Colonel Richard Henry Beddome in 1870 and named after the collector of the first specimens, Colonel Heber Drury (1819-1905), an amateur botanist who worked in Travancore. The species was found in the valleys of the Cardamom Hills and flowers in May and June. The leaves are long and stout. The scape is 7 to 9 inches long and erect and hairy bearing a single flower. The dorsal sepal is broad, pointed and bent forward and greenish to yellow in colour with a purple medial stripe. The outside is hairy. The broad petals also have a dark medial stripe and dark spots towards the base and the flower bends slightly downwards.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Paphiopedilum druryi” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Paphiopedilum, druryi and species.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1972, 1870, 1819, 1905—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Paphiopedilum, druryi and species providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Paphiopedilum druryi”, the useful work is to connect “species of plant” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1306383. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1972, 1870, 1819 and 1905.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
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  • Classification context
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Paphiopedilum druryi”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Paphiopedilum druryi primary sources, Paphiopedilum druryi archive and Paphiopedilum research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Paphiopedilum druryi”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Paphiopedilum druryi” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.