Paphiopedilum Golddollar

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Nickp

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I bought this plant from JEM orchids in 1996, so it is one of my oldest surviving Paphs. I think P. Golddollar was a really inspired cross -- you get a flower that approximates P. armeniacum in size and color, but the plant is so much easier to grow and bloom.

(click the link for pic without Photobucket watermark (I hope))
https://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y527/myrmecodia/Paph-Gold_Dollar_zpsh8dfi9ny.jpg

Paph-Gold_Dollar_zpsh8dfi9ny.jpg
 
Wow almost a quarter of a century!! Kudos to keeping it healthy and happy to reward you with blooms to this day! A child would have graduated from college!
 
Very nice flower!
Could anybody explain the the striped markings for neither armeniacum nor primulinum have them?
 
Very nice flower!
Could anybody explain the the striped markings for neither armeniacum nor primulinum have them?

I'm not sure I can explain it definitively, but it's not unexpected for this cross.

Although it's very likely that a typical yellow P. primulinum was used, the colored form, P. primulinum var. purpurascens, shows that the species can produce colorful markings within the petals. Additionally, var. purpurascens can have varying degrees of pigmentation on the dorsal sepal. This is all repressed in the standard yellow form, which happens to be something of an albino, but these traits are expressed in some hybrids.

Plus, P. armeniacum can have red freckles on the petals near the staminode, where the freckles appear along the tessellated ridges of the petals. So, it's also very possible that those freckles are also contributing to the outcome seen in this clone.
 
I agree. Assuming that the primulinum parent used was a yellow form (I doubt colored form was used, considering that the whole point of making this hybrid is to bring out the golden yellow color unless someone was being super curious and ambitious), armeniacum can contribute to the darker pigmentation.
I have seen completely spotless Gold Dollar but many of them have fine spots on the petals near the center of the flower.
The staminode typically show a varying amount of darker pigmentation as well.
This is probably the most extreme case I've seen so far with dark veins on the petals. But it is nicely yellow and well-shaped for the cross, and it's been growing for over two decades!
Must be a big specimen plant by now.
 
It would be a big specimen, if I had grown it consistently across 24 years. But I didn’t. :(

When I switched from under-lights/windowsill to greenhouse growing, it took me a while to get the hang of growing in much brighter light and different temperatures—Paphs in particular suffered. Then, all my orchids were neglected for a few years when my kids were small.

I have also divided it a bunch of times.

Right now, I have three smallish divisions, each with three or four growths that I am trying to grow bigger.
 
mrhappyrotter and Happypaph7 thanks for your explanation, its higly interesting!

Incredible what backset changes of conditions can bring...
 

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