Mystery Paph.

[Bjorn]

The Paphiopedilum in the attached pictures came into my posession around 1993-4 under the name "Paphiopedilum villosum "Tibet""
http://img217.imageshack.us/g/29122009004.jpg/
(excuse the quality of the pics. I am a lousy photographer). It has ever since bloomed regularly during the winter, and tholugh these pictures were taken one year ago, it has started again right now with some 6-8 flowers(+ have not counted them). Right, as you understand, this is not exactly in my focus these days, but all these years, I have been wondering what could this be? I have a feeling that it was among some imports that came from China in the late 1980'ies, but have no definite proof for its origin. And then, again, it looks similar to one of the Actaeus hybrids....
Is there anyone that can provide me with additional info here?
Bjorn

 

[Roy]

It looks to have spicerianum in it. I would suggest a hybrid.

 

[goldenrose]

How big is the flower?
It would surprise me if it were a straight villosum, there's something about that dorsal that suggests something else.

 

[Rick]

Weird and spotty.

Something akin to boxali?

I can remember an old thread on villosum varieties a ways back, with Xavier throwing in that just about every valley had its own variety and natural hybrid of villosum.

 

[cliokchi]

Hi Bjorn,

where did you purchase the plant ?
my gut feeling tells me it's a maybe [natural] hybrid
between insigne x spicerianum , also villosum has a much hairier spike
if i know where the plant originated ,what orchid farm was it's
always a good start to find out more about this plant
thanx for sharing i hopes this info is helpfull to you
cliokchi

The Paphiopedilum in the attached pictures came into my posession around 1993-4 under the name "Paphiopedilum villosum "Tibet""
http://img217.imageshack.us/g/29122009004.jpg/
(excuse the quality of the pics. I am a lousy photographer). It has ever since bloomed regularly during the winter, and tholugh these pictures were taken one year ago, it has started again right now with some 6-8 flowers(+ have not counted them). Right, as you understand, this is not exactly in my focus these days, but all these years, I have been wondering what could this be? I have a feeling that it was among some imports that came from China in the late 1980'ies, but have no definite proof for its origin. And then, again, it looks similar to one of the Actaeus hybrids....
Is there anyone that can provide me with additional info here?
Bjorn

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

Its definitely a little spicy

 

[SlipperKing]

I agree spicerianum background

 

[Bjorn]

Thank you all for your constructive suggestions; and yes, I too agree that there must be some spicerianum in it. Actually it looks quite similar to some pictures of P. Actaeus and P. Leeanum ( P.Act=(insigneXLeeanum), Leeanum=(insigneXspicerianum))
The flowers are some 8-10cm in spread, so quite typical for that kind of hybrids.
What is puzzling me though is the origin of this plant: In 1993 I got it from a fellow orchid grower together with a bunch of micranthums, armeniacums and malipoense (and also henryanums) that had come from China(Hong Kong?) some years before - probably between 1985 and 1990. These plants were most likely wild-collected and I guess that the one in question here was wild collected as well, and lacking a correct name it was tagged: "villosum "Tibet""
My hypothesis is therefore that its origin could be SW China, Laos or N-Vietnam, possibly wild-collected and traded through traders in China.
The plant itself has probably no villosum in it unless there exist an exotic variety which is unknown to me, - perhaps in Tibet?
The rest of the plants that I got together with this one i.e. micranthums, armeniacum and malipoense, went through some tough years and the armeniacums left me during the nineties, the malipoenses, I think there was four of them, left on later occasions, except one; this one blasted a bud last year and is still alive. The micranthums on the other hand were placed together (5? of them) in a sort of community pot, some 20x30x15cm deep to allow for the runners. This was done in 1997. They are still in that "box" in the same soil mixture, but is by now between 50 and 100 leads rambling all around. I did a similar thing with my henryanums and discovered last year that those plants had actually multiplied by seedlings in the pot without me being aware of it. Nice surprise:clap:
Since then I have planted quite a few of my paphs into similar set-ups. But that is another story.
Bjorn