# Paphiopedilum variegated



## OR.O (Aug 6, 2016)

Hey guys! Just a question! Are variegatured on paphs always stable? I bought today a Philippinense var Laevigatum variegated bud the old leaves are just green. I thought that maybe the old leaves turns green when gets old.


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## Ozpaph (Aug 6, 2016)

I think they tend to be unstable and often revert to green


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## paphioboy (Aug 8, 2016)

I think the key to maintaining the variegation is low N. Too much N will green them. I have heard this happen to variegated phals, grammatophyllum and mini dends.


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## labskaus (Aug 8, 2016)

laevigatum is not variegated!

Not sure about the exact meaning of the species name, but botanically Paph. laevigatum is a synonym of Paph. philippinense. In horticulture the name is often used for a specific type of Paph. philippinense, mostly with broad leaves and rather spread-out petals.
In my plants I've noticed what the others said, leaf markings/variegation is often not pronounced, mostly reversible and most often nutrition linked. I have also achieved some nice contrasting leaf marks with the misapplication of a fungizide, though.
G..... tells me there are different forms of Paph insigne with variegated leaves and propably the odd other species, too. I know this occured on Phrags, too.


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## OR.O (Aug 8, 2016)

a friend of mine tells me that if the new growth will be variegated, it's should be stable ! 




Paphiopedilum Philippinense var. Laevigatum variegata by osvaldo Rozzo


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## NYEric (Aug 8, 2016)

Nice, I hope it is consistent!


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## OR.O (Aug 8, 2016)

NYEric said:


> Nice, I hope it is consistent!



yea! the plant isn't perfect but I bought anyway, it's so rare to find something like that


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## Chicago Chad (Aug 8, 2016)

I also have a philli that is variegated. It has a new growth and so far that is holding the variegation as well. I will try and grab a pic when I can.


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## myxodex (Aug 17, 2016)

Your plant certainly looks like it has chimeric variegation which means that the variegation is caused by a mutation in the chloroplast DNA that blocks chlorophyll production. This means that the pattern you see on the leaves is derived from the pattern already present in the meristem so it's a bit like a magnified view of the chimeric sectors in that part of the meristem that was used to make the leaf. It also means that it is difficult to predict if variegation will show up in the new growths because you don't know what the pattern is in that part of the meristem which is destined to form the new growths.

I grow a number of neos with this type of variegation and they vary quite a bit in how much the variegation changes in successive leaves on one growth. In your plant it appears that the newest leaf has more yellow than the older leaves so you can expect some change in pattern with each new leaf. As for new growths it's more difficult to say, but again I will offer a guess. The variegation from what I can see is all on one side of the plant (the upper half in the photo). So it is more likely that growths that arise from this side of the plant will be variegated while growths that arise from the other (bottom side) are less likely to be variegated. It doesn't always turn out like that because I'm making guesses about where the sectors are in the meristem and we cannot know this exactly and besides the situation is a bit more complex. The green parts could contain a small proportion of mutated chloroplasts but not enough to be visible. It is possible for a new growth to appear all green, and then for this growth to produce new growths with variegation. It all depends on asymmetry of segregation of mutated DNA copies in proplastids when they divide (chloroplast progenitors) and on asymmetry of segregation of the mutant proplastids in cells of the meristem when they divide. If this happens a mutation enriched sector can arise within the meristem and give variegation from a green "carrier" growth. This does happen in neos, but it's not common, more typically green growths produce green growths.

One thing I've noticed with neos is that the yellow parts of leaves are more susceptible to infection, particularly for leaves that are mostly yellow. So keep an eye on the damage at the tip of the new leaf.


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## OR.O (Aug 30, 2016)

it was purchased recently , exclusively for its caretteristic . thanks for the explanation ! truly depth and complete !
I will take special care of this plant.


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