Phragmipedium pearcei is definitely not

[rauhaariger]

In 2021 I ordered a Phragmipedium pearcei from Ecuagenera, which was delivered to me with the remains of a flower and could therefore be unambiguously identified as a pearcei.



In spring 2022 the plant bloomed and once again it became clear that it was a pearcei.



Due to lack of space, I divided the now very large plant into 10 parts.
In the middle of the undivided plant there were a few particularly strong shoots, which I left together and placed in a separate pot. I thought they were particularly strong shoots of the pearcei.
They grew a little further and were now significantly larger than pearcei. I still believed that favorable conditions made it particularly strong. This winter it put on a flower shoot. This was also longer than I was used to with pearcei. But so far I have never had any doubts.
It wasn't until she opened her flowers that it was clear it wasn't a Pearcei.





Now I have looked out all the old photos of the plant. In a photo from 2021 you can already see that a few leaves in the middle of the plant are significantly wider than those of the pearcei.



Even now I still have part of the plant in another pot, where you can clearly see that there is something else in it. 1 and 2 are Pearcei, 3 is the beautiful unknown.



What do you think that is and how does this plant get in there? I also have a guess myself, I'll share it with you later.

 

[mrhappyrotter]

You should ask Ecuagenera if they have any ideas as to potential ID, but don't get your hopes up too much on that.

They must have stuffed multiple plants into the original clump. Although, who knows? Phrag seeds will sometimes germinate in cultivation without the need for sterile flasking, so if they had a seed pod split open in the vicinity and some seed landed in the pot with the pearcei plants and then at least one of the seeds germinated and it went undetected until now, that could also explain it, unlikely as it seems.

ID is anybody's guess with these types of things, but Phrag. Green Hornet (pearcei x longifolium) is a distinct possibility.

 

[rauhaariger]

For a Green Hornet, I miss the "freckles", those little dots in the shoe that appear on all longifolium hybrids. I'm betting on richteri. That would also fit with Ecugenera, because richteri has had them on offer from time to time in recent years, while I can't remember Green Hornet.