Cypripedium appletonianum Gower, Garden (London, 1871-1927) 43: 95. 1893; Cordula appletoniana (Gower) Rolfe; Cypripedium bullenianum H. G. Reichenbach var. appletonianum (Gower) Rolfe; Paphiopedilum appletonianum var. hainanense (Fowlie) Braem; P. hainanense Fowlie; P. hookerae (H. G. Reichenbach ex J. D. Hooker) Stein subsp. appletonianum (Gower) M. W. Wood.

Plants terrestrial or lithophytic. Leaves 7 or 8, distichous; blade pale green and often marked with purple toward base abaxially, distinctly or sometimes obscurely tessellated with dark and light green adaxially, narrowly elliptic or suboblong, 9-20(-25) × 1.5-3.5(-4) cm, bilobulate or tridenticulate at acute apex. Scape erect, terminating in 1 or very rarely 2 flowers; peduncle purple, 20-60 cm, white pubescent; floral bract green, ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-2.6 cm, abaxially puberulent especially in basal half, ciliate, acuminate at apex; pedicel and ovary 4-7 cm, pubescent. Flower 6-8(-10) cm in diam.; dorsal sepal and synsepal greenish or whitish green, with green veins; dorsal sepal with brown-purple stripes at base; petals greenish at base, turning to a rose-red or dull pink toward apex, with scattered dark brown spots or sometimes green-brown stripes in basal half; lip olive-green, rose-red, or purplish, with a green or pale green-yellow margin; staminode dull yellowish with a green center. Dorsal sepal ovate or broadly ovate, 3.5-4 × 2-3 cm, abaxially puberulent on veins and margin, minutely ciliate, acute at apex; synsepal elliptic-lanceolate, 2-3 × 1-1.5 cm, abaxially puberulent on veins, minutely ciliate, acuminate at apex. Petals spatulate, 4-6 × 1.3-2 cm, with blackish brown warts along upper margin and sometimes fewer along lower margin in basal half, often half-twisted in apical half; lip helmet-shaped, 3.5-4.5 cm; pouch 2-3 × 1.5-2.5 cm, apical margin with a deep incisure centrally with usually 1-3 teeth on either side. Staminode broadly obcordate, lunate, or transversely elliptic-oblong, mucronate or with 2-5 teeth at apex. Fl. Jan-May. 2n = 26, 28, 38.

Rocky and humus-rich places or crevices of rocks in forests; 300-1200 m. SW Guangxi, Hainan [Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam].