Primulinum and it's variety

What is the difference between paph. primulinum verses primulinum variety 'aureum'?

 

The yellow form/variety (does anyone have any population data?) was the type, so Paphiopedilum primulinum refers to the that yellow variety. The addition of 'aureum' is unnecessary and botanically incorrect. P. primulinum does have a "normally" colored variety, P. primulinum var purpurascens.

 

I think that 'aureum' is the yellow/green variety.

Someone correct me if I'm off here:
The word "Aureum" is Latin for gold, more specifically "glow of sunrise". Hence the elemental symbol for gold is Au on the periodic table. The term 'aureum' has been adopted for identifying lots of varieties of plants and animals (like my favorite maple Acer japonicum 'Aureum') that are district from the general species and yellow in color.

As to the biological differences, someone else will have to answer that.

 

It maybe unnecessary but it sure is useful.

 

I don't deny it may be useful, I'm just trying to give the official ICBN explanation.

 

Maybe they try to separate the yellow ones from the green /white ones?

 

I'll concur with Zach on this one.

However, over the past year or so, I've also seen Paph. primulinum var. alba listed from several wholesalers and vendors, and in some cases, the plants are simply the typical yellow form. In other cases, though, the blooms are mostly white (with some green) rather than yellow. The Wikipedia photo appears to be a white one, as does this one (though this one is also over-exposed): http://www.coluna-da-sal.com/orchidarium/fotos_6/orq-0821_-_paphiopedilum_primulinum_var_album.jpg

In some cases, I think that people actually intend the "var. alba" etc to refer to the white variety. As far as I know, it hasn't been officially described, so it's just a trade name. Either way, the "aureum" should refer to a yellow bloom, which is the type form... so it should just be primulinum.

- Matt

 

kentuckiense & Matt hit the nail on the head IMO and according to the primary literature. Paph. primulinum all by itself indicates the albino form and the gold, yellow and whitish ones all fall under that taxon. purpurescens indicates the colored form. We use primulinum fma album in our catalog (admittedly incorrectly), but it certainly helps let folks know that it's the albino form. BTW, we've bloomed out yellow and near-white flowers from the same pod. Multiple genes for albinism here (help here Orchids Limited Robert Q)?

-Ernie

 

Matt ,
I want to have all different color of this one,
So when you have a white one, and a green one, don't forget to let me know

Thanks

 

Actually I think the wild yellow form has historically been called var flavum. I know that some of the recent aureum's on the market were crosses of two albums that turned out yellow (perhaps double heterozygotes). They were called album until they bloomed. I have seen true albums and they are really nice, Wish I had one.

 

I have a Paph Pinochio album in bud. I'm hoping it is very light; otherwise why would it be album!? The leaves have very little color so my fingers are crossed for album blooms.

 

When the species was originally discovered, two forms were described. The first was Paph primulinum which is albinistic and entirely yellow, the second was the var. purpuracens which is a diluted colored form that carries albino genes. Both of these plants are descendants of an unknown fully colored form.
Calling it Paph primulinum alba or aureum is not correct scientifically, and in fact primulinum sufficiently describes the yellow coloration.

Interestingly, sib crosses of Paph primulinum have created whiter forms with white pouches and similarly sib crosses of var. purpurascens have created brighter colored forms. Neither of these was found in nature in these forms, and only selective breeding has created them.

 

So my plant would be a cross w/ primulinum v. purpurascens that is album.

 

I'm not sure what you are asking, but Paph Pinocchio= glaucophyllum x primulinum. Now, depending on which form of primulinum you use, a different result could be expected. The var. purpurascens generally gives larger flowers than primulinum. The color influence is also different as primulinum will give more yellow.
There are also sib crosses of Paph Pinocchio, and some of the progeny will yield albinistic flowers of yellow with white pouches.

 

The vendor [very reliable] wrote Pinocchio album. Therefore both parents should be album.

 

I would take that to mean that it's glaucophyllum album x primulinum (type form, which is aureum/albino).

- Matt

 

Sometimes it is a matter of semantics. Technically, album forms should have no anthocyanins (purple) and no flavonoids (yellow), only chlorophyll. Some, however, use this term to describe plants lacking only the anthocyanins, which are more appropriately described as flavum forms. If we call the yellow ones "album" what do we call the white ones? Sometimes the gene expression varies with the environment as well. I have a Wossner Vollmond which blooms yellow in cold weather and white in warm weather.

 

That's why it is more correct to call them albinos than albas......It covers a larger spectrum of color forms that lack anthocyanins. Of course, Paph primulinum is a special case of an albinistic plant that was described before the colored variety. The norm is to describe the colored form first...... Calling it primulinum album is not only redundant but not accurate, it's not a white flower.

 

Suppose the one I got blooms a white flower?

 

If the flower is entirely white with no other color present, you could call it an alba.