Variation in Paphiopedilum spicerianum

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Hoppy

Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
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Location
Victoria, Australia
AA72DF16-488A-44C0-A941-53E146153B3B.jpeg A990FF42-6976-4FD8-BA7C-DF2482CB3AC5.jpeg A21F3E63-7DA0-47CD-8CF7-BAC65D6BDEE6.jpeg I bought 2 Paph. spicerianum seedlings, 1 from grower A and 1 from grower B.
Grower B had also bought seedlings from Grower A, so originally it was assumed that I had bought pod/ flask sibs.

But I think not.
These are first flowers of both.
Photo 1 shows the variation in leaf shape between the 2 plants and the flower of Plant A.
Photo 2 shows Plant B in flower.
Definitely not related. Plant B seems to be one of the newer “flattened” cultivars with the darker pouch colours.
It has been opened about 5 days and not showing any tendency for the dorsal sepal to reflex.

I indeed feel lucky to have scored one of each out of my two babies.
 
Plant 2 is clearly a hybrid. The asian breeders have been selling Bruno and its crossbacks as spicerianum for decades.
 
I’ll accept that Plant B is a hybrid.

Grower B assumed the plant would have been one of the seedlings he bought from Grower A. But some time previously he had bought a flask labeled Paphiopedilum spicerianum x sib. He no longer remembers it’s origin.

Hybrids have their own charm. As the species is not rare, it makes no sense to me to sell any hybrid as a species.
 

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