Paphiopedilum globulosum Z. J. Liu & S. C. Chen; P. micranthum f. alboflavum (Braem) Braem; P. micranthum var. alboflavum Braem; P. micranthum f. glanzeanum (O. Gruss & Roeth) O. Gruss & Roeth; P. micranthum var. glanzeanum O. Gruss & Roeth; P. micranthum var. oblatum Z. J. Liu & J. Yong Zhang.

Plants terrestrial or lithophytic, with 1 to several creeping stolons more than 10 cm, 1.5-2.5 mm in diam. Leaves 3-5, distichous; blade abaxially densely purple spotted and carinate, adaxially tessellated with dark and light green, oblong to narrowly elliptic, 6-12 × 1.5-3.4 cm, thickly leathery, apex acute or slightly bilobulate. Scape erect, terminating in 1 or rarely 2 flowers; peduncle red-brown or yellowish green, heavily marked with red-brown, (5-)10-23 cm, white villous; floral bract yellowish green, marked with purple or nearly purple-brown, ovate, conduplicate, 1.1-1.4 cm, abaxially sparsely villous; pedicel and ovary 3.5-5 cm, white villous. Flower showy, 3.5-7 cm in diam.; dorsal sepal, synsepal, and petals yellowish to whitish, sometimes flushed with rose-pink, veined with red-purple; lip rose-pink, pale pink, or white, with purple spots at inner bottom; staminode white with purplish red speckles throughout and a yellow flush in apical half. Dorsal sepal ovate or broadly ovate, 1.5-2.5(-3.2) × 1.3-2.5 cm, abaxially white villous, minutely ciliate, acute at apex; synsepal similar to dorsal sepal, sometimes slightly smaller, obtusely bicarinate abaxially. Petals broadly ovate to suborbicular, (2-)2.5-3.2 × (1.5-)2.6-3.5 cm, abaxially slightly puberulent, adaxially white villous toward base, minutely ciliate, rounded at apex; lip ovoid-globose or ellipsoid-globose, (2.2-)5-10 × (1-)4-5.5 cm, apical margin involute. Staminode elliptic, longitudinally conduplicate, 10-15 × 7-8 mm, apex acute and slightly mucronate. Fl. Mar-May. 2n = 26.

Paphiopedilum ×fanaticum Koopowitz & Hasegawa, a hybrid of this species and P. malipoense, has been reported (Orchid Advocate 18(2): 50. 1992), and many infraspecific taxa have been proposed based on color variation. However, most were not validly published.

Rocky and bushy places or crevices of rocks in forests in limestone areas; 1000-1700 m. SW Guangxi, S and SW Guizhou, SE Yunnan [N Vietnam].