Two lowii's for comparison

[SlipperKing]

This plant had 4 flowers the first time it bloom but I gave it a major set back a couple of yrs ago. I was shocked to see it blooming on such a small growth. I don't have a record of it's parents.

This lowii has the "straight out" petal look. which I didn't care for at first but it is growing on me. I'm not crazy about the dorsal. It's too cupped at the point causing a more trianglar look to it. It could improve on furture bloomings. This is one of the popular lowii crosses currently; 'Princehouse' X sib

And a close up.

 

[JeanLux]

the petals of the second one look pretty, but do have fewer spots than the first ; both are very nice to look at, if one is waiting for a first bloom on one s lowii ! What is the spread of the flowers? Jean

 

[paphiness]

lowii 'Malaysian Princess' blood

Hi,

It seems to me that your top lowii has some 'Malaysian Princess' in it. That particular cultivar is known for its petal stance, where the petals curve a bit downwards, and have that half-twist.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~PAPHIO-IN-OKINAWA/aokayama2.htm#label2

http://www.argusorchids.net/images/photopages/p_lowii_photopage.htm

I was very fortunate to be able to acquire a division of P. lowii 'Malaysian Princess' some time ago. The blooms look pretty much like the ones referenced above.

Apparently, a good deal of breeding from 'Malaysian Princess' has been done in the past. A selfing on this plant produced 'Exotic Dancer', which is the only FCC/AOS for this species. While I don't have 'Exotic Dancer', I do have a piece of 'Thanks Hans' AM/AOS, which has huge flowers. I've heard it said by a judge that it beats 'Exotic Dancer'!

Regards,

DY Hung

 

[mccallen]

http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~PAPHIO-IN-OKINAWA/aokayama2.htm#label2

That peloric St. Swithin is awesome!

 

[@[email protected]]

both are nice

 

[Roy]

Love lowii, close to my favorite species.

 

[rdlsreno]

I like them both but I like the untwisted one better.

Ramon

 

[Rick]

Rick H
Your top one is very similar to mine with the spots almost having clear centers and the petal stance. What kind of flower span to you get? Mine sometimes exceeds 16cm.

The plant is a pretty aggressive grower but I did loose some growths after the last repotting. Fortunately its coming back, and I hope it actually takes a break from blooming for a year. Usually I get 5 flowers per spike, and about 1 in 5 flowers will actually have straight out petals instead of the mustachio stance.

It's been pulled for judging before, and has won allot of blue ribbons at shows I've taken it too, but the petal stance seems to be the fatal flaw to getting an AOS award. The judges really like the straight out petal's facing forward stance.

I got the plant from Andy's in 2001, and for some reason he thought the clone originated from Borneo stock. On Borneo, lowii is both epiphytic and lithophilic. I've been growing it in bright light, and with limestone chips in the bottom of the pot since I got it, and its been a pretty happy camper for the most part.

 

[Rick]

Here's some 2006 pics of mine for comparison

 

[JeanLux]

Rick H
..... Usually I get 5 flowers per spike, and about 1 in 5 flowers will actually have straight out petals instead of the mustachio stance.

It's been pulled for judging before, and has won allot of blue ribbons at shows I've taken it too, but the petal stance seems to be the fatal flaw to getting an AOS award. The judges really like the straight out petal's facing forward stance.....

Very interesting, the 3 different blooms. Is the 'mustachio' stance a result of growing conditions or characteristic for a given individual plant??

Jean

 

[Rick]

It seems about 80% genetic and 20% cultural. Some would probably say its all genetic.

However, the odds of mine doing it increase with humidity and brighter light, but I've never had a whole spike with straight petal flowers.

Most of the straight petaled clones seem to have flowers of lower mass than the curved petaled ones. If there was no curve in the petals of my clone the span would probably be in excess of 18 cm, but that may be a bunch of weight to support without the curving.

In the next few years I expect to see a bunch of 4N lowiis hit the judging benches that will probably be monsters.

 

[myxodex]

I wish I had the space to grow multi's ... and lowii would be the first on my list. I do prefer the curved types ... more charm for me.
Cheers,
Tim

 

[Rick]

I wish I had the space to grow multi's ... and lowii would be the first on my list. I do prefer the curved types ... more charm for me.
Cheers,
Tim

Wilhelminea is really small. Also there is a subspecies (or variety??) of lowii called richardianum that is also dinky (but I hardly see it around).

 

[SlipperKing]

OK Rick and Jean,
The natural spread of the down swept petal lowii is approx. 15 CM and the straight petaled one is 17 CM. Now, wasn't Frank Smith's lowii(s) at the WOC the down swept form?

 

[rdlsreno]

OK Rick and Jean,
The natural spread of the down swept petal lowii is approx. 15 CM and the straight petaled one is 17 CM. Now, wasn't Frank Smith's lowii(s) at the WOC the down swept form?

Here is one of Frank's Paph. lowii at the WOC and it was more than 17 cm.

Ramon

Paph. lowii

 

[SlipperKing]

Thanks Ramon! More inbetween not down swept but not prefectly straight out either. I really like how green Frank's dorsals are. I remember in one of his posts after the WOC he said he got a FCC on a lowii the following weekend. I would like to see that one

Rick H

 

[rdlsreno]

This is my Paph. lowii that flowered last year. Very slow growing.

Ramon

Paph. lowii

 

[SlipperKing]

Now that is nice too, Ramon. What are the parents behind yours?

 

[Hien]

The WOC's flower & Ramon 's flower just bring tear to my eyes, cause they are just so beautiful.

 

[jblanford]

Here's mine just opened this week, two more flowers to go had to post now so excited. First time bloom flowers could be larger maybe next time, I saw Franks at the WOC and WOW they were great. I just noticed the knob on the staminoide very interesting. Thanks for looking Jim.