Paphiopedilum Berenice var. album

[sweaver24]

After many years of seemingly doing nothing but growing bigger, my Paph. Berenice is finally blooming--well, at least the label says it's Berenice (if it appears to be something else, I'd appreciate someone kindly offering a correction).

I do have a question for anyone who's interested and/or able to provide an answer. Are the leaves of alba plants supposed to lack pigment, or just the flowers? I've seen pictures of other Berenice plants online, and they all have darker leaves than this one. I feed it regularly during the growing season, it gets good light and RO water, and it's producing numerous new growths and has a strong root system. But the light-colored leaves make me wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

Steve

 

[goldenrose]

Welcome Steve! :clap::clap: I have 2 of these plants, one has been a better grower but neither are blooming size yet. Nice results! I'd be confident with what the tag says. A phili album and a lowii album was used but that doesn't mean all plants & flowers come out album. You've got one that's almost all album, the colored spots on the petals would be green.
Lighter colored leaves are a result of the amount of light it is getting, I don't think you're doing any thing wrong, I wouldn't change a thing. Phili usually likes higher light levels than lowii so this cross could result in some plants doing well under lower light conditions than what you've provided.

 

[eggshells]

Nice albescens.

 

[Justin]

the flowers are gorgeous.

the background on this cross is that an album philippinense and album lowii were crossed in the hopes of an album Berenice.

As you can see, there is color pigment in the flower, so the conclusion is the color chromosomes in the two species don't entirely match up.

So some have been disappointed with this cross. However i think the results are still very nice. i love the "pastel" colored flowers like this. I have a couple from the same breeder (Orchid Inn), with regular lowii crossed wtih album that came out like this...a softer colored lowii. i love them.

The plant itself looks OK. Looks like it might not be the most robust clone, however, which really has nothing to do with the grower. Great flowers though.

Edit, Rose beat me to it

 

[NYEric]

As you can see, there is color pigment in the flower, so the conclusion is the color chromosomes in the two species don't entirely match up.

You've got one that's almost all album, the colored spots on the petals would be green.
Lighter colored leaves are a result of the amount of light it is getting,

I disagree with both of these statements. This is about as album as this cross will get. there are pale greenish album phils and yellow ones. The leaves are light because of albinism also. Well bloomed and thanks for sharing!

 

[Ozpaph]

Eric, why would albinism affect the colour of the leaves? Aren't they green because of chlorophyll? Or is there red pigment as well? Thanks.

 

[goldenrose]

I disagree with both of these statements. This is about as album as this cross will get. there are pale greenish album phils and yellow ones. The leaves are light because of albinism also. Well bloomed and thanks for sharing!

I agree, it is as album as this cross will get!
But the leaf color....

Eric, why would albinism affect the colour of the leaves? Aren't they green because of chlorophyll? Or is there red pigment as well? Thanks.

please comment further...

 

[SlipperFan]

I'd be very happy with that plant.

 

[SlipperKing]

Beautiful flowers and strong looking clone. Both species have solid green leaves so red pigment has nothing to due with the color you are seeing. You leave an open ended statement, "I feed regularly" but what does that mean? I found out by accident that watering my plant with a big pinch of Epson's salts in the water really "greened" my plants up. Even in the strong summer sun. Look up some of Rick Lockwood's posts on nutrition, can be complicated reading but can shed light on what to do with regular feedings for all your plants.
I personally feed at 30-40 ppm total nitrogen of a K-lite fertilizer every time or every other time I water. Considered very weak to some orchid growers.

 

[paphioboy]

Very nice... Makes me that I lost a seedling of Berenice alba..

 

[emydura]

That is nice . I have a few seedlings of this. I hope they turn out like this.

 

[NYEric]

Albinism affects leaf color, look at delenatii album and compare to regular. I have a lowii album and a phillipneses album and both have lighter then normal color leaves.

 

[sweaver24]

You leave an open ended statement, "I feed regularly" but what does that mean?

During the growing season I mix K-Lite at a rate of 1/8 teaspoon per gallon of RO water each time that I water the paphs. I was using MSU at the same rate until I read somewhere (can't recall where) that the K-Lite was a better choice for paphiopedilums--although the delenatiis appeared to do better with the MSU, so sometimes I "cheat" a little and give that formula to them instead of the K-Lite. In the winter months when many of the plants slow down, I use the fertilizer maybe every third or fourth watering.

 

[eaborne]

I like it!

 

[papheteer]

I like it a lot!