Paphiopedilum papuanum

Finally, the flower has opened. The plant didn't seem bothered by its brief drop to 5C a week or so ago (backup heater now installed), but according to Cribb's Kew monograph they regularly see temperatures of 10C in habitat in any case.

It look like Paphiopedilum appletonianum to me.

Really?? I dont agree, what do others think?

I'm just an amateur and Paph newbie, but after checking some pictures on the net (which really isn't a good way to properly ID anything, but it can give you a hint at least) I think it's a papuanum. It looks a lot like one papaunum in this thread for example: scroll down a bit.

Take some new pictures after the flower has been open for a while. It might be easier to tell then.

There's a superficial similarity of this papuanum flower to appletonianum. Nice flower, congrats on blooming this rarity!

Thank you, it's really papuanum for me and not much like appletonianum at all- the overall shape of the pouch is wrong, and the staminode is quite different amongst other things.

It's a bit washed out in the petals, but perhaps it'll color up over the next few days.

Btw, this is a first flowering on a one growth plant, and I've seen it recommended to cut the flower early in such cases, especially in Barbata species. Would you guys advocate this?

Cheers,

Alex

I agree that it is a papuanum.

Doesn't look like an appletonianum at all!

Congrats to flowering this gem!

papuanum... pale one. Nice.

Alex said:

Thank you, it's really papuanum for me and not much like appletonianum at all- the overall shape of the pouch is wrong, and the staminode is quite different amongst other things.

It's a bit washed out in the petals, but perhaps it'll color up over the next few days.

Btw, this is a first flowering on a one growth plant, and I've seen it recommended to cut the flower early in such cases, especially in Barbata species. Would you guys advocate this?

Cheers,

Alex

Click to expand...

I would cut the flower and put it in a glass of water (I always do with my first time bloomers if it's a single growth plant).

Alex said:

...
Btw, this is a first flowering on a one growth plant, and I've seen it recommended to cut the flower early in such cases, especially in Barbata species. Would you guys advocate this?

Click to expand...

This is a common recommendation, but it has never made much sense to me. Most of the resource and energy expenditures for the plant went into producing the flower. Maintaining it for a few weeks is trivial by comparison. If you don't think the plant is strong enough to support the mature flower for a while, then it never should have been allowed to waste the much greater effort to produce it. Those resources should have gone into vegetative growth instead. Even producing seeds is less stress to the plant than producing the flower in the first place.

Nice job. I have a violacens that keeps a couple of growths max. I let it flower for two weeks then Snip. Can't wait to see the open flower.


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I agree it is as posted. Just very early in the stage of opening and a quick glance could be mistaken. Just looking at the staminode one can tell its of the mastersianum group

An update now that the flower is more open...

Looking good!

lovely papuanum!

Nice job!

Very nice!

Very nice, and it looks even less like an appletonianum now than before.

It is lovely!

Nice papuanum! Rare to see, great growing!