anitum

[SlipperFan]

I can't stand it!!! So jealous!

 

[Ice]

photo by yang-ji
thanks

 

[cattmad]

nice, I particularly like the second one, dark and better form

 

[paphioboy]

Very dark moody looking flowers... But I love them..

 

[Roth]

Just like that, Golamco never went to the habitat, ever. He bought the plants from someone from U. family. The real collector is here, with a clump of randsii gigantea, growing amongst a colony of anitum:

There are indeed anitum with 6 flowers per stem, and even natural hybrids anitum x randsii gigantea. One good photo is here:

http://www.orchidspecies.com/paphadductum.htm

Under the name adductum. The natural hybrid can have up to 10 flowers per stem.

 

[carrilloenglish]

OMG... I just lost my breakfast when I saw that randsii. Really... just slap me in the fash a few times... I would be less painful.

 

[paphjoint]

sure he went there and on several occasions

Just like that, Golamco never went to the habitat, ever. He bought the plants from someone from U. family. The real collector is here, with a clump of randsii gigantea, growing amongst a colony of anitum

 

[Pete]

exceptional. both yang's plants as well roth's.

I wonder if the pollinating species is the same, or is there a universal visual clue to a wide range of related pollinators after which the mechanics of the flower sort out the specific pollinator.

majority are hoverflies of the family Syrphidiae. family is extremely widely distributed with probly like 5-6000 species. many have evolved with muellerian mimicry, having gold and black barring on their abdomens so as to appear as a wasp or bee of some sort. many are initially attracted by colors and are then brought in for a closer look but warts on petals, colorbreaks, warts on back of pouch below staminode (venustum) warts on staminode or other staminodinal variations (roth) all act as brood site mimics. meaning they are dressed up to look like an ideal place for their pollinator to want to come investigate as a place to lay their eggs, so their eggs will have plenty of food as they grow up (hoverflies eat aphids/aphid larvae)... of course hoverflies and paphiopedilum are not an exclusive relationship, as fragrances and different floral morphological designs and stuff are highly variable within a widespread genus of ~90 species but they are certainly a well established mutualism.

 

[Rick]

exceptional. both yang's plants as well roth's.


majority are hoverflies of the family Syrphidiae. family is extremely widely distributed with probly like 5-6000 species. many have evolved with muellerian mimicry, having gold and black barring on their abdomens so as to appear as a wasp or bee of some sort. many are initially attracted by colors and are then brought in for a closer look but warts on petals, colorbreaks, warts on back of pouch below staminode (venustum) warts on staminode or other staminodinal variations (roth) all act as brood site mimics. meaning they are dressed up to look like an ideal place for their pollinator to want to come investigate as a place to lay their eggs, so their eggs will have plenty of food as they grow up (hoverflies eat aphids/aphid larvae)... of course hoverflies and paphiopedilum are not an exclusive relationship, as fragrances and different floral morphological designs and stuff are highly variable within a widespread genus of ~90 species but they are certainly a well established mutualism.

Keep in mind that the 5-6000 species vary considerably in size, shape, habits and distribution. So even under the general heading of "hover flies" you can still get almost species specific pollination going within a group of sympatric paph species.