The story of my biggest vietnamense

It arrived in a flask from HS in March 2012 and tried to flower already in summer 2013, but aborted.
Here from May 30 2013

In October 2014 it decided to flower again, here from October 19, 2014, a little limp flower, but BIG! so it was found suitable for selfing.

Appearance improves if tilted a bit

In March 2015, another flower-stalk came along, this time with two! buds! The capsule is from last flowering in October 2014.

In April 2015 it flowered with the first bud again a hughe flower!

From the side:

Now, in April 2016 it is time again, also this time with two flowers!

Flowers seems to become sizeable



Still a bit limp, the coming days will reveal how this years flowering will be!

pc screenshot
Please note that the plant has been in the same pot all this time, as well as being fed with low amounts of fertiliser (100ppm TDS <20ppm N)

Very cool to see the changes. It seems that the pouch color is getting more intense and homogenous. Or is it just the light/white balance? Did the seeds germinate?

naoki said:

Very cool to see the changes. It seems that the pouch color is getting more intense and homogenous. Or is it just the light/white balance? Did the seeds germinate?

Click to expand...

The color could be the white balance or the temperature, so I would not pay too much attention to that. About the seeds, I do not know, There was a lot of it and I gave it away. Mike(Stone) got some perhaps he knows? But think it is a bit early still. The rest was given to a paph nursery.

It must be a vigorous plant to support all those flowers and a pod.

Wonder if it could be a polyploid? The leaves are big the flower is fat, it is vigorous etc?

Huge for sure !!!! Jean

Multiple blooms, a pod, and a giant flower!!!???!!!
When I first saw the measurement of the sepal length I thought it was in inches! Thanks for sharing.

The update on the pod?

Very lovely!

What??!!!!
It look a little over one year to go from flask to that big and flower?
How big was it out of flask? Already quite big?

Definitely best of the crop, right?
Lucky you!!!

Vigorous and big!

Really nice! Great growing : )

Guess it could be tetraploid, but that'll have to be determined in the lab

I love stories and this one has a very happy ending. The
flower is wonderful and the foliage is quite beautiful. It
appears to be clumping quite well...bravo.

NYEric said:

Multiple blooms, a pod, and a giant flower!!!???!!!
When I first saw the measurement of the sepal length I thought it was in inches! Thanks for sharing.

Click to expand...

That would be something! right:clap:

Happypaphy7 said:

What??!!!!
It look a little over one year to go from flask to that big and flower?
How big was it out of flask? Already quite big?

Definitely best of the crop, right?
Lucky you!!!

Vigorous and big!

Click to expand...

It was approx 2.5years to that flower. Yes, ity was very fast and the fastest of its flask.This is my fist picture of them, from beginning of January 2013. All of them are quite sizeable so they must have grown at a good speed. Believe this particular one is the one to the left in front? Difficult to say though.....

pic upload

Bjorn said:

The color could be the white balance or the temperature, so I would not pay too much attention to that. About the seeds, I do not know, There was a lot of it and I gave it away. Mike(Stone) got some perhaps he knows? But think it is a bit early still. The rest was given to a paph nursery.

Click to expand...

No news yet but if they are going to germinate, my 'bloke' will do it.
BTW Bjorn, I will have some tigrinum seed soon if you want?

Stone said:

No news yet but if they are going to germinate, my 'bloke' will do it.
BTW Bjorn, I will have some tigrinum seed soon if you want?

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the offer Mike I wish I could, but propagation labs are scarce (read nonexisting) here so it gets a bit difficult.
Tigers have a bad reputation so choose the best there is to do the job.
Good luck with them! and let us know how things move

BTW, has everyone noticed how I have avoided mentioning how superior this seems to the vietnamense which we here in the USA have had to deal with! ? :evil:

Well, do you know where vietnamense in USA originate, then?

Gotta get some flasks from HS? lol

I know Bjorn also has a great conditions, though. That surely helps a lot, I bet.

That is an impressive flower to say the least. Is the pod a from a selfing?

Bjorn, if you're referring to the bassett hound
petals, it seems quite normal for VN. I haven't
seen a photo on one that didn't have the drooping petals.