Paphiopedilum gratrixianum fma aureum

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Guldal

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Yesterday, I visited my friend and mentor in all things orchidiadic, Hans Christiansen in Fredensborg,, and I returned with a couple of really nice plants.
I was especially happy, when he let me buy the one flowering of his very few plants of the albinistic form of gratrixianum.
Because it's not a thoroughly albino plant, Hans designates the colour form 'albescens'. I think 'aureum' might, maybe, be more appropriate (bearing in mind the albino form of lowii, where the sometime remnants of anthocyanin in form of a few dark spots do not exclude it from the designation 'aureum')
First a couple of photos of the flower itself in different light:
20210221_161528.jpg20210221_161512.jpg20210220_182014.jpg
Flower and plant in toto:
20210221_161611.jpg
Hans brought back this plant as well as a few other select plants from Germany the other year. The plants came from a nursery, that's now closed to the public, but, as I understand it, turned into some kind of private museum. Hans knew the current owners now departed parents, who ran the nursery for many years. As a token of his longstanding relation to the family, he is once in a while granted to buy some of their exquisite plants.
I have of course no deal in the present flowering of the plant - that honour solely goes to Hans Christiansen. I just couldn't help myself, but had to share my excitement over my new acquisition. So, please, bear with me!
 
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Here I am! LoL.

I actually was not aware that this form variety exists till this post.

I thought at first it was a normal form with light pink markings on dorsal. Then I thought a sanderae form with pink.

Were there others in bloom at Hans? If so, did you that pics?

I wonder it a selfing would produc albas?
 
Jens, what a great acquisition, as David already mentioned.....rare and beautiful. Congrats. 👌
As to the name I think both forms may be possible with this flower......aureum as well as albescens.
 
Were there others in bloom at Hans? If so, did you that pics?
No, this one was the only one in bloom out of the five or six plants, Hans had in all. I couldn't get my eyes of it, as I also liked its shape a lot.

It's no shame, not knowing this colour form. Hans told me, that he never laid his eyes on gratrixianums coloured like this in 49 of his now 51 years as independent nursery owner and international judge - that is not before he was offered the 5-6 plants in question to buy (a statement seeming to me to carry some weight, coming from the man in whose nursery the first plant of the albino form of P. hennisianum was discovered - that btw. afterwards was named in his honour, when botanically described, as P. hennisianum fma. christiansenii by, if I'm not mistanken, Olaf Gruß)..
If, at some point, I see some of the other plants in flower, I wil try to provide you with a photo, Leslie!
 
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If by chance you see another in bloom, take pics and buy me one please lol. I will transfer PayPal to you lol.

May I ask you to take a close pic of the staminode and leave tips? Also pic of back of flower, dorsal closeups, inside pouch and rim, and stem fuzz.

Also flower pic from the side. A sunlight pic of front and back of dorsal with one pic of sun from behind (to see how deep the carotenoids are with the layers) too?

Also full measurements of floral parts (including ovary, synsepal and floral sheath, stem height) and plant size? For my research and records.

Homework!

Thanks!
 
Really beautiful form of gratrixianum! Do you know if Hans will sell more of These?
 
My most favorite form of gratrixianum! Lucky you to have one! Congrats!
 
Homework!
Sorry for being incommunicado for the last weeks, but I have been terribly busy at work, which really doesn't measure up with the long term sequalae after covid, which for me mainly is fatigue.
However, I thought I better get my homework done, before the flower folds. Leslie, did anybody ever tell you what a horribly stern and demanding taskmaster, you are? Never the less, here you get, what I have from your list.

The overall height of the flower: 9 cm.
NS: 8 cm.
Dorsal sepal H: 5 cm; W: 5,5 cm (flattened). Synsepalum H: 4,2 cm; W: 3 cm.
Petal L: 6 cm; W: 3 cm (flattened)
Pouch H: 4 cm; W: 2,5 cm.
Inflorecence: 22 cm.
Leavespan: 39,5 cm (tip to tip); largest leave L: 20 cm; W: 2,3.

And then the photos, you crave, Oh, Oriental Master of the Occident!

Flower, sidewards view:20210307_171522.jpg
Flower from the back:
20210307_172535.jpg
The Angel Standing in the Sun - flower heavily backlit:20210305_083335.jpg
Dorsal from above:20210307_171601.jpg
Dorsal, close-up:20210307_172615.jpgStaminode, attempts of close-ups:20210307_171412.jpg20210307_171456.jpgOvary:20210307_171637.jpgInflorecence, semi close-up:20210307_171720.jpgLeave tips:20210307_162703.jpg
 
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