Recent content by Clark Thomas Riley

I would note that your japonicum is what I call "the Chinese japonicum." Your variety has a bright white base to the lip and bright "lipstick" around the opening. Most Japanese japonicum have a greenish base. It's not the white sepals and petals of formosanum. I had this variety from a Chinese...

Without assistance, Cyp formosana would be difficult in Montana as it is accustomed to milder winters. On the other hand, you’re in the right zone for cold growers like montanum, guttatum, and passerinum. Water requirements can be tricky.

Yes. There have been better ones posted on this forum, but it's too pretty to stay home. I think it's a first-bloom. We'll see what next year brings.

I love the multiflorals, particularly sanderianum. I like dark flowers, particularly anitum. Marry the two and you have a match made in heaven — Paphiopedilum Yang-Ji Hawk. I got a great plant of it from Frank Cervera at the 2024 Paph Forum in Kensington, Maryland. Give me a year and if it's...

Yes. Watching with joy! Cyp formosana is one of the finest additions to our hardy orchid gardens. Much better behaved than its close cousin japonicum and in my opinion much prettier. In addition to its own incredible beauty, there are 10 (!) hybrids registered with it, include the second human...

Cypripedium season has begun in the Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore, Maryland). For me the first one up every year is Cypripedium formosanum. Should be in bloom by mid-April. It has been reliable grower here for about 5 years, planted in a raised bed beneath arborvitae trees. Soil was amended with...

Particular congratulations on the Habenarias and the Aplectrum. I don't recall anyone germinating them before. Are those the tropical Habenarias? What media are you using?

FWIW, when I had Selenipedium aequinoctiale, I tried about 10 cross pollinations with Cypripedium pubescens with no success. No evidence of taking.

In addition to everything else, looks like each spike is branched. This trait is really important in the impact a plant makes. Nice!!

Thank you. This is very valuable information. Fortunately, it is consistent with what I've been giving them, treating them like my Paphiopedilums vietnamense and hangianum. Pictured is my happiest subtropicum, now 1 year in Baltimore cultivation.

Thank you for your wonderful documentation. The observation that Cypripedium subtropicum inhabits altitudes of 1,600m is consistent with my initial success in the air-conditioned zone of my greenhouse (seed-grown stock from Hengduan Mountain Biotechnology).

Here's my Ptarmigan (Snow Bird x medusa) in very rainy, hot Baltimore. Potted in 1:1:1:1 ProMix BX : Turface : Espoma Soil Perfector : course perlite. The pot it topped off at planting time with a mulch of granite gravel to keep the leaves clean and a scattering of Osmocote Plus.

With the advent of seed-propagated Cypripedium subtropicum at a reasonable price from Hengduan Mountains Biotechnology, I have been able to try the species under several conditions and can report initial success under one set of conditions. I attempted last year with limited beginning success...

It was about 35 years ago, but I recall it was something like Michigan Wildflower Nursery. They’ve been out of business for at least 15 years.

The parents of Cypripedium Otto, both pubescens and calceolus are recorded in nature all the way beyond the Arctic Circle. Calceolus has more problems with heat, but Pubescens grows all the way into Georgia and Alabama in the U.S.