Selenipedium

Selenipedium Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 1: 8 (1854).

Distribution: Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, French Guyana, Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil

Abbreviation: Sel.

Only six species are known of these Central and South American lady's slipper orchids which were formerly used as vanilla substitutes, but selenipediums are now rarely cultivated. Partly this is because of the difficulty of doing so, but is probably also due to the relatively small size of the Selenipedium's flower. The wild flower's Amazonian habitat is also under threat, so extinction is a risk for all species of Selenipedium.

adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenipedium