Paphiopedilum barbigerum Tetraploid?

[DrLeslieEe]

I recently acquired this from JMarcotte and he grew it from a flask he got almost 15 years ago from Bloomfield Orchids (through middleman).

When I first looked at it, I was sure it wasn’t pure. The petals were too long and the flower a bit stout. Ratios seemed wrong.

But on closer inspection of staminode, it looked like the species. Perhaps the large parts of the flower were due to a possible tetraploid status.

Thoughts?



Pictures courtesy of JMarcotte.

I decided to name it ‘Gremlin’ for obvious reasons lol.

 

[JayeL]

Leslie

It does look odd, but the staminode looks correct in my opinion (I'll defer to the taxonomists on this point). If it does prove to be a 4N, it would make a great parent plant.

JL

 

[GuRu]

......When I first looked at it, I was sure it wasn’t pure. The petals were too long and the flower a bit stout. Ratios seemed wrong.
But on closer inspection of staminode, it looked like the species. Perhaps the large parts of the flower were due to a possible tetraploid status....

Maybe you presumption could be right .... maybe not, Leslie. So far I havn't seen such a P. barbigerum .... also the shape of the petals doesn't really fit. Other species have almost the same shape of the staminode e.g. P. coccineum so it would appear in a progeny. And furthermore P. coccineum was for a long time P. barbigerum var. coccineum.
At any rate she's a lovely flower.... barbigerum, teraploid or not.

 

[TyroneGenade]

Lovely flower. Very well grown, kudos Leslie.

After a few generations of line breeding there is no rational reason to expect the progeny to fall within the normal range of variation of the species. Line breeding is all about emphasizing traits at one end of the normal distribution. As one trait changes with selection it will cause others to change with it. Because it looks different to what is expected for the species was the whole idea of line breeding in the first place.

I think this is a barbigerum for the same reason I think your niveum is a niveum: because the tag says so.

 

[Tom-DE]

Send me the plant and I will play taxonomist like a pro...

 

[Guldal]

Maybe let Olaf take a look at your photos? (You might be right about its polyploidity....but, but there is something about its proportions, that makes the hybridiometer close to go off!)