New variation of Cypripedium henryi?

[san]

Hi, I am a newbie from China. Thanks to Yijia for giving me this Cypripedium. When it is blooming we find it's an unusual one. Is it a new species or just a new variation of Cypripedium henryi?

 

[smartie2000]

Welcome to Slippertalk forum... thanks for sharing it here

 

[tocarmar]

I'm not an expert on Cyp's, but to me it could be just a normal variation of within the species. It is very nice though!

 

[parvi_17]

It looks like a henryi to me.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Neat San! Thanks for the look and feel free to show us more rare examples of Chinese plants. In the west they are near ghosts.

So the difference here is mostly about the spotting on the flowers, true? That trait is a pretty common morph in other members of section Cypripedium. Ones that come to mind include C. parviflorum, C. kentuckiense, and C. segawai - all of these can have that kind of spotting from time to time. How about flower size, etc.?

Thanks again for the shots!

 

[SlipperFan]

I was wondering about the spots, also.

Welcome to Slippertalk!

 

[biothanasis]

Hello and welcome!!!

Great looking Cyp!!!

 

[NYEric]

Welcome from NYC! I have no idea!

 

[fundulopanchax]

Thx for the images. I have not seen one with spots but as others have mentioned they do show up on other Cyp flowers from time to time so I suspect I just havent seen enough henryi's. However, the lateral sepals are held very differently from other henryi's I have seen in "the flesh" or in photos. I makes me wonder if this is a hybrid. What is the size of the plant compared to other henryi's? When I have made henryi hybrids, the plant size has seemed to follow the other species.

Interesting!

Ron

 

[san]

Thanks to every one for your kind words and opinions.
Sorry I am not an expert in Cypripedium and have no other henryi to compare with it. The inflorescence has been sent to a researcher of Cypipedium. Surely he has seen numerous henryi. Hope he could give us the answer.
In any case it is an unique one. Hope I can make it bloom again!

 

[NYEric]

Personal/houseplant!?

 

[san]

It's a newly collected one,Eric. I have an airconditioned cabinet for my alpineplant.

 

[NYEric]

Amazing! If there is a program to progagate them/[and other cyps] on a good size scalethat is fantastic. Vermont Ladyslippers here in the US had a good program maybe a scientific exchange would be beneficial.

 

[McKatelyn]

This sounds like this was a wild dug plant because you say its a newly collected one. I'm certainly not a Cypripedium expert but I do know that the wild dug plants have most of there roots cut off and may not live a second year. Plus its wiping out the wild populations. Many of the Asain species are very cheap but poached from the wild. I'm really interested in many of the Asain species also and Vermont Ladyslippers does sell captive propagated C. henryi.

 

[smartie2000]

He is in China....

I am not avocating on wild collection of orchids. I am just suggesting that there are many other things that wipe out wild populations that are worse than collecting on a small scale. At least I hope that this is going to be small scale.

 

[parvi_17]

I also don't condone collection of wild orchids.

The problem is that although an individual person might be collecting on a small scale, that person is not the only one doing it. The thousands of people that do it add up!

But I'm not knocking anyone!

 

[NYEric]

San stated it was from someone else.

 

[parvi_17]

...But was still wild-collected.

 

[san]

Thanks to every one concerned about wild orchids. Take it easy,almost no people here collect Cypripedium. Who would like to waste hundreds of money more a month to pay the electricity bill?
I have six years of orchid planting experience though it's my first year to grow Cypripedium. I don't believe it's a such difficult one if it's planted in a environment with low temperature, suitable humidity.
I also think it is time to protect wild orchid now. Now I have been able to propagate dendrobium, paphiopedilum,
Holcoglossum by flasking. I am able to make quite a lot of seedling of those genus in two years if needed. It's said that Cypripedium is much difficult in flasking. But something should be done to make it clear,isn't that? And my friend in Kunming china has been succeeded in flasking Cypripedium flavum.
The most important thing to protect wild orchids is protecting its habitat.
Orchids propagated by flasking usually are good shape because of parents selecting. That will make wild orchids lost most of its market.

 

[smartie2000]

Take it easy,almost no people here collect Cypripedium.

My thought too. I had originally posted that, but I deleted it and decided to let you answer since I don't know everything that goes on in China.

The most important thing to protect wild orchids is protecting its habitat.

I agree, much of the habitat in China is eroded due to construction and manufacturing. However we can't blame China for manufacturing everything. People in North America consume far more than they need. Clive Hamilton argued, if I remember correctly, the United States of America consumes 9 times as much as other countries. China took the role of supplying this unendingly hungry country unforuntately. Plus many houses need to be built there and their economy is growing super fast too...

Luckily the mountainous and cliff areas where many paphs (and cyps) are don't get touched by construction much I would assume.