bellatulum culture survey of sorts

[likespaphs]

Thanks NYC, I've found "THE PAPHIOPEDILUM GROWER'S MANUAL" by Lance Birk, could be this one?

yup. there's a second edition out now...

 

[Greenorchid]

Yes, i've seen!!! Hope i could buy it soon!!!

 

[streetmorrisart]

Yep, got 4 different "types" of bellatulum album.

2 divisions of wild plants, one is not that easy to grow actually, but that's OK, plus it is prone to old leaves chlorosis though. The other one cannot stand dryness of the medium, or the plant looks wilted very quickly. Former is a Chinese bellatulum, latter is a Burmese one. I made seedlings in flask, and they germinated like crazy...

Orchids Limited one, that is most likely a wenshanense album ( very beautiful at that),

the fake US bellatulum album ( some batches of bellatulum album have been bred with a thai stud plant that actually is 75 bellatulum album and 25% ang-thong album. Only things are the way a few of the plants held their flower stem up, the shape sometimes, and the leaf texture), very easy to grow ( of course!). That batch of non-pure bellatulum album has been widely distributed all over the USA. Some have been selfed/sibbed, and that's where the questions began as to their authenticity...

Some seedlings from Belgium of bellatulum album, wild plant x self (with yellow spots on the flower actually !), that are not easy to grow.

Maybe you mistake with armeniacum album, whose plants are much easier, faster and healthier than the normal ones. Plus they bloom easily in warm climates.

I noticed that the plants with red leaves usually are more picky regarding warmth than the green-leafed counterparts. Same is true for the flower bud, I found the red pouched micranthum more prone to bud blast than the white pouched ones such as Kwangsee or even pale pink ones... Something related for sure with the red pigment.

Thank you! Interesting, as always.

I did some digging and realized that it was on the Zephyrus Orchids site that I read that the album was easier. I'd have found that extra-odd if I weren't already familiar with that being the case with the markii armeniacum! (The latter has been on my list for some time, and it should be a lot higher now that I live in St. Louis.)

I don't suppose for my purposes that it matters too much if it's 100% bellatulum.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

In my limited experience, I have found the albino bellatulum easier to grow and spike. But keep in mind..."easier" does not equate to easy. And while I have had alba's spike for me, I have never seen a bloom....they blast as easily as they spike...and die even more easily. Take care, Eric

 

[streetmorrisart]

In my limited experience, I have found the albino bellatulum easier to grow and spike. But keep in mind..."easier" does not equate to easy. And while I have had alba's spike for me, I have never seen a bloom....they blast as easily as they spike...and die even more easily. Take care, Eric

Such humility considering! It’s hard to have the attitude that I can do it if you can’t.

Realistically, spending the amount necessary on the rarer version before I’ve mastered the coloratum form (slightly harder or not) is ridiculous—it’s not something I can (or should currently) do in good conscience. I’m pretty inspired to try again with one in s/h though. I’ve had phrags in it before with good results, and a friend of mine just shared a bunch of his supplies he didn’t want with me, so I moved some smaller-growing angraecoids over to that today. Clearly, bellatulum would be a fine subject matter to try with this, though I’m hesitant to move many of my paphs over to it on a whim—no sense in fixing what isn’t broken.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Don't get me started on s/h!!!! But in terms of just trying to grow bellatulum, I would say to gor for it. Its not exactly a rare species...it's readily propagated, and relatively inexpensive for a paph...even the album form can be bought at a reasonable price....and just because others (like me ) have had a hard time doesn't mean that you wuill have a hard time...hey, I can bloom emersonii!!! (I just can't keep it alive.......) so if its affordable, go for it. Eric

 

[Bolero]

Thanks for the info in this forum. This helps a lot and explains why I can't grow them......lol.