Recent content by Rick Barry

This is arguably the finest white ever produced, and this particular plant must rank with the best of the bunch. A solid 77 point HCC here in the Bay Area (insert emoticon for irony here)! Consider me a complex green, with envy. Regards, Rick

Uri, Have you found this to be easy to cultivate? I haven't often seen blooming plants. Like Dot, I also bought several seedlings from Fred Clarke, so if they require specific conditions I'd love to hear your recommendations. Regards, Rick

Thanks for the comments. I don't mean to disparage the flower. I just don't think it quite measures up to today's best complexes. That doesn't mean that I don't consider it a keeper, especially given its vigor. I do like the color scheme, which seems appropriate for a fall bloomer. One...

Paphiopedilum Warmest Regards Sarella x spicerianum Nothing to shout about, but a relatively fast grower and reliable bloomer. From the old Rod McClellan company in South San Francisco. Regards, Rick

In a response to an earlier posting of a first-bloom Triple Bella one commentator expressed puzzlement in imagining what Nick might have been trying to accomplish in making this cross. Here Ross effectively answers that question as well as illustrates some alternate directions in Brachy...

Here's a much larger Paph charlesworthii look-alike to be registered as King Charles. P. Wawona Maiden x P. charlesworthii. Wawona Maiden is Hellas x charlesworthii, so the resemblance is unsurprising. From the Orchid Zone. Regards, Rick

It is an interesting subject, because it puts a sharp focus on the lack of respect on the part of many breeders towards the judging system. To really appreciate the negative effect the events on that night might have on the reputation of the judging system, you first must consider the context...

Aquacorps (if that truly is your name), Thanks for obscure literary reference. It's good to know those Cliff's notes haven't been completely forgotten! Regards, Rick

I hereby retract my suspicions regarding Rick's plant. What a difference a photo makes! Oh, the comments about Norris, let 'em ride. Regards, Rick

(Part 2) I recently saw an online reference to a Paphiopedilum niveum var. semi-alba. Curious, I searched the internet for a photograph, and discovered a few other references to semi-alba Paphs. Mostly, the results have yielded photos of flowers with faded-looking markings, but they aren't...

Journal November 2, 2008 San Jose As has been my custom in recent years, I ventured out early on the morning of November 1 for a brisk walk around my neighborhood, my annual celebration of All Hallows Day, the zenith of the fall season here in San Jose. Unlike in other regions, where winter...

Hi Ernie, The proper name would be Paph fairrieanum forma bohlmannianum (Matho) Braem, to indicate whose concept you personally accept as valid. That's not to imply that this is necessary the unanimous opinion of all taxonomists, but simply the opinion of the writer. I take a practical...

There is a P. spicerianum in the possession of a prominent Japanese collector that apparently has an unusually flat dorsal (relative, no doubt, to the usual funnel-shape) and I believe that plant is in the ancestry of the cross in question. If there is any basis for questioning whether the...

Hi Rick, I did see your previous posting which you reference, and Kay Rinaman probably could have pulled that off. Most of the rest of us might have ended up with a bloody nose, or at least been escorted out feet first. Norris was no shrinking violet even in his latter years, and I doubt that...