# micranthum leaves



## Jorch (Apr 13, 2008)

I love micranthum leaves.. call me crazy, but I like to buy them for the leaves more than the flower.  I recently re-organized my growing area, and have put all my micranthums into one single growing area. It'd be cool to see how the flower differs from each other based on the differences in the leaves:

A couple of seedlings with long narrow leaves, very dark green in color, covered with silver hair







Wide round leaves, very muddy tessellation, 






Another round leaves kind, but with very distinct tessellation and color contrast





Long narrow leaves, dark bluish green leaves with minimal tessellation, but no silver hairs





And the last one is long narrow leaves with bright color leaves (in sheath)





I also have another one with long narrow leaves with light color muddy tessellation in bud. too chicken to move that around for photographs as I tend to be a bit clumsy..


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## NYEric (Apr 13, 2008)

Hmm interesting, I read somewhere that you could tell the species by the leaves but not if those are all examples. Those are nice but I like bellatulum, curtsii v. superbiens and venustum album leave more. It's almost like haveing jewel orchids. Now I want more! :crazy:


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## smartie2000 (Apr 13, 2008)

you aren't crazy...I love their leaves too! nice collection.... I think I'm getting more when I have a chance

I wonder which leaf shape gives the best blooms. Sanderianum suggested wide leaves and not too strongly tesselated give the best blooms generally but not always.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Apr 13, 2008)

I love micranthum leaves also....I'd better love them, 'cause its not like they're gonna bloom for me!.....................Eric


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## Leo Schordje (Apr 14, 2008)

Nice, you plants are healthy, nice gloss to the leaves. You should document the leaf type with the flowers, you may have distinct races there. The flowers will tell. Good growing, don't change what you are doing.


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## Mrs. Paph (Apr 14, 2008)

Darn, this reminds me of a project still left half done...I have some cool pictures of sections and peels of micranthum and armeniacum leaves under the microscope! I'll get the pics ready for upload one of these days, I promise!!! Just too busy these days. 
Very nice selection of plants you have there - makes me want to 'scope them too and see if the structure looks any different close up w/ all those different leaf colors/shapes/etc!


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## Jorch (Apr 14, 2008)

That sounds like an interesting project! Can't wait to see your posting about what the leaves look like under the 'scope!


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## rdlsreno (Apr 14, 2008)

Nice observations!


Ramon


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## kentuckiense (Apr 14, 2008)

Mind if I play too? I've got three clones I can photograph.


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## Jorch (Apr 15, 2008)

Feel free to join in! The more the merrier :clap:


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## Rick (Apr 15, 2008)

Miss Paphiopedilum said:


> Darn, this reminds me of a project still left half done...I have some cool pictures of sections and peels of micranthum and armeniacum leaves under the microscope! I'll get the pics ready for upload one of these days, I promise!!! Just too busy these days.
> Very nice selection of plants you have there - makes me want to 'scope them too and see if the structure looks any different close up w/ all those different leaf colors/shapes/etc!



Those should be fun and educational pics. I read that micranthum (or armeniacum) have small hooks on the leaf surfaces that promote an insulation effect when there is frost on the leaves.


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## Mrs. Paph (Apr 18, 2008)

Yes, I read the same thing, or it may have said calcarious scales or something...and being curious, and being at a university w/ equipment around...I presented my mini 'research proposal' to a former Plant Path prof. and asked to use her microscopes w/ camera adapters! **DavidH (did I get that screen name right, if not I'm sorry!) from the forum here deserves much credit for supplying the leaf tissues** 
A friend of mine in Biotech has a word for my excitement about the whole thing, LOL, she calls it 'nerding out' when someone gets that excited about something most ppl would just not appreciate  It is exciting though isn't it? I promise to get everything processed and posted here after finals... some day I will have the time and stuff to make more pics like this of a variety of Paph leaves, b/c of course now the question is if mic and arm look the way they do magnified, what do the rest look like???  (I do answer to "Plant Freak" if it's said respectfully LOL)


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## lily (Sep 21, 2008)

wow...very interesting posts here! my favorite paph is the micranthum...and i have quite a few of it at home too....it's interesting that they all have different leaves, but i tend to like the wider and darker leaves......I've heard that plants with darker pigmentation on the underside of their leaves usually have pinker pouches, is it really true?


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## Corbin (Sep 21, 2008)

very interesting


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## SlipperFan (Sep 21, 2008)

It is interesting. I didn't realize there was so much variation in the leaves of this species.


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