Paphiopedilum leucochilum`Account Black Pearl sib x Account Red Dragon - Not!

[HairBear73]

I bought this plant from Popow in April last year and have been waiting for it to bloom with much anticipation, so imagine my surprise and disappointment that this is what happened 😕 I’m not usually disappointed in flowering a bellatulum but I am this time.
I understand these things happen but it wasn’t a cheap plant and despite emailing Popow they haven’t bothered to respond. I’ve had quite checkered experiences with them.

 

[GuRu]

Definitely a Paph. bellatulum. Not a disappointment at all, but of course one compared with what you expected. Popow's promise of 100% exact names sometimes failes. Send your mail until you get a response. Good luck.

 

[Ozpaph]

You hope for a 'black' one, but like all hybrids there's usually a mixed outcome. Have others from this cross flowered??

 

[DrLeslieEe]

HairBear, did you buy as a division or an unbloomed seedling of a leucochilum?

Unfortunately it turned out to be a bellatulum. A pretty one. But not a leuco.

 

[HairBear73]

It was a division rather than a seedling.
I don’t know if others from the mix have flowered and of course, I cant get an answer from Popow.
I know there’s nothing I can do, it’s just frustrating!

 

[NYEric]

Oh, there are many things you can do. :evil:
Sorry for your loss. Did you grow it so bright the leaves came out like that?

 

[Guldal]

Definitely a Paph. bellatulum.

That's at least one possibility.....somehow my first impulse was wenshanense with the bellatulum coming strongly through?

 

[Guldal]

Popow has always, for me at least, been very reliable to deal with....at some point they had some trouble with their mailsystem, that was attacked by a virus (not plantbased, though! ). They adviced me to use the following email: [email protected]

It's my impression, that sometimes their mail is answered by some of their employees, and therefore I address important mails to Boscha (i.e. Popow, sr.), who handles their specialized Paph. businesses with knowledge and acuity, and who has always been, maybe a slightly taciturn correspondent, but always friendly and very forthcoming. He is, though, an elderly man and not always in the best of health - so maybe, it might help, if you write to them with 'Att.: Boscha and Alexej Popow' in the subject line?

Kind regards,
Jens

 

[Hien]

per

It was a division rather than a seedling.
I don’t know if others from the mix have flowered and of course, I cant get an answer from Popow.
I know there’s nothing I can do, it’s just frustrating!

I don't think you bought an individual "named clone" or a "division", since you said the name is :
leucochilum "Account Black Pearl" x "Account Red Dragon"
You just bought one plant out of the many sibbling plants resulted from this mating of these two parents.
your reply to Leslie "it was a division" got me confuse, a division implied a piece cut out from a well known or an awarded exact clone.
There is nothing wrong with buying an unbloomed / no clonal name , since the result could look like either parents, a mixture between the two, better than both parents or not as good as either parents.
1) however in your case, it should be a leucochilum (not a bellatulum as of the result bloom in your photo) , further more it should be quite black , even the name of your plant tag implied it was a just a plant from this cross (at one point last year I was eyeing to buy these black ones on Popow website, if I remember correctly, there were 3 black crosses, all with pictures of the black parents)
2) I bought plants from Popow in the past, either as children plants of a cross with parentage cross names similar to yours, or an individual in bloom plant (in this case he actually gave a clone name for that exact plant) examples:
a) leucochilum"Black" x "Giant" (I bought a compot of this cross=a few children plants)
b) leucochilum "Black Mountain" (just one exact in bloom plant, that he gave a clone name)
3) there were only a few times the employees packed the wrong plants (out of many very satisfied & good transactions) , when I pointing out that the incorrect plants were sent , he was very good with his word, always replaced with the correct plants.
4) there were many scenarios that could happen which would result in wrong plants, an employee packed the wrong plant, a visitor to the nursery pull out the tag and put the tag back in the wrong pot , the plants from this cross that Popow grew may have been from a wrong flask (if the breeder or flasker sent him the wrong flask, he would not realize it until a few plants bloom)
5) don't give up , I believe Popow Orchid is a good orchid company, and they will correct situation such as this for their customer .
6) I attach a similar cross I saw on their website (one of the two parents is the same of one using in your cross) that I was thinking of buying last year , do you still have a photo of the advertise of your cross?

 

[alexej popow]

sorry this is a bellatulum. ...he must have it mixet up in his collection --our leucochilum black crosses have not bloomed any yet --and also there is big different in leave easy to recognice ---we expect the first ones to bloom this year hopefully --the plant he bought could never be in bloom yet as we kept the biggest ones --so we advice to the buyer to check his collection

 

[Hien]

sorry this is a bellatulum. ...he must have it mixet up in his collection --our leucochilum black crosses have not bloomed any yet --and also there is big different in leave easy to recognice ---we expect the first ones to bloom this year hopefully --the plant he bought could never be in bloom yet as we kept the biggest ones --so we advice to the buyer to check his collection

hi Alexej, it is good to know that the largest plants from the cross are not in bloom yet .
As you explained , there also is a possibility of mixed up in the collection , the positive thing is you guys did have communication.
Years ago, when I still had a big collection , after a spill of a tray, all the phals' tags and plants spilled onto the floor, and another time lazy repotting too many plants at the same time, since then I actually drilled a hole thru tags , then use "cable Zip Ties" to permanently attach tags to the bases of all of my plants.
By the way, since Covid last year, I have not seen any red vulcano or black leucochilum on Popow website, will there be more of them in the future on the Popow website?

 

[Ozpaph]

of course Popow is only the re-seller. The flask came from ? Thailand.

 

[HairBear73]

sorry this is a bellatulum. ...he must have it mixet up in his collection --our leucochilum black crosses have not bloomed any yet --and also there is big different in leave easy to recognice ---we expect the first ones to bloom this year hopefully --the plant he bought could never be in bloom yet as we kept the biggest ones --so we advice to the buyer to check his collection

This is this is the problem, its my word against yours - what do I possibly have to gain by saying a plant is something it isn’t? I don’t buy so many plants that I lose track of them and this one was quite distinctive with its pale leaves. It’s a poor way to treat a customer to assume that they have made a mistake rather than admit that you have which is the case, if I was in any doubt I wouldn’t have emailed or posted about it.

 

[SlipperKing]

This is this is the problem, its my word against yours - what do I possibly have to gain by saying a plant is something it isn’t? I don’t buy so many plants that I lose track of them and this one was quite distinctive with its pale leaves. It’s a poor way to treat a customer to assume that they have made a mistake rather than admit that you have which is the case, if I was in any doubt I wouldn’t have emailed or posted about it.

WHAT!! That is so wrong!

 

[Hien]

This is this is the problem, its my word against yours - what do I possibly have to gain by saying a plant is something it isn’t? I don’t buy so many plants that I lose track of them and this one was quite distinctive with its pale leaves. It’s a poor way to treat a customer to assume that they have made a mistake rather than admit that you have which is the case, if I was in any doubt I wouldn’t have emailed or posted about it.

I truly hope something will eventually work out for you through communication between you and alexej .

 

[Guldal]

sorry this is a bellatulum. ...he must have it mixet up in his collection --our leucochilum black crosses have not bloomed any yet --and also there is big different in leave easy to recognice ---we expect the first ones to bloom this year hopefully --the plant he bought could never be in bloom yet as we kept the biggest ones --so we advice to the buyer to check his collection

What evidence is there, that this is really Alexej Popow answering?

 

[Murray F]

What a confusing situation. We rely on the nurseries in good faith and they are mostly correct but then depends where the plants are sourced from