# Cypripedium tibeticum



## parvi_17 (Mar 24, 2010)

I just bought this plant the other day. I wasn't going to bother photographing it, but I had my camera out anyway so I thought, what the hay? 

The plant was among a group of plants the seller (Shawn Hillis of Garden Slippers in Calgary) had purchased labeled as Cyp flavum. These have started to flower over the past week or so. They are immediately recognizable as NOT Cyp flavum, and we are pretty much sure that this one is tibeticum (the others that he still has probably are as well). 

This plant doesn't look like an amazing example of tibeticum, probably because it is immature. The flower is fairly small, especially for tibeticum. The color is lighter than most tibeticum, but this is a variable species in terms of color. C. franchetii can be ruled out immediately because this plant has glabrous leaves, stem, and ovary. The flower color reminded me of C. froschii, but I believe the plant would be bigger and would have longer, slightly twisted petals if it were froschii. Unfortunately I don't have a formal description of froschii so I don't know any other details about that species to compare it with this. The fact that this plant is blooming on fairly young leaves is another big indication that it's tibeticum. However, the leaves have definitely developed more than a lot of tibeticums do at flowering time.

Anyway, I think it's pretty safe to say that it's a tibeticum, and hopefully future blooms will confirm this by giving me a bigger flower (and, less likely, darker color)! At any rate, it's a pretty plant and I'm glad I bought it. I hope you all enjoy this early glimpse of spring (especially those of us who still have snow on the ground...).


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## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 24, 2010)

Very interesting Joe. My first impression indeed is that of froschii, not a "true" tibeticum. Dr. Holger Perner considers froschii to be an ecotype of tibeticum anyway, but as you noted this species is highly variable. If you don't mind, I'll run it past a few folks and see their response. That's the problem with plants that came from an unknown source, you can't be sure what you're dealing with.

If it is froschii, then lucky you! They are quite rare in collections, especially in North America.


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## smartie2000 (Mar 24, 2010)

Super jealous!


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## parvi_17 (Mar 24, 2010)

Oh definitely Tom - by all means ask around; it'd be much appreciated. I certainly would be happy if this turned out to be froschii (I will have greatly underpayed for it!) - maybe the petals just aren't twisted because it's a first bloom? Ah, the wonders of botany...sometimes it's just hard to be 100% sure what something is, especially when it's a baby.

Oh, by the way, the plant is sourced from Phytesia in Belgium. Shawn has contacted a guy there with photos to see what he thinks.


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## tocarmar (Mar 24, 2010)

Very Nice!! Someday I'll have 1 (000).


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## Yoyo_Jo (Mar 24, 2010)

Joe, that's wonderful! :clap:


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## tenman (Mar 24, 2010)

I think the color is great, but it may in fact change. I don't know under what conditions it bloomed, but temperature, light, and compost chemistry can have substantial influence over color expression, so it is possible the color may be different next time.

Regardless, great flower!


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## SlipperFan (Mar 24, 2010)

The flower is lovely, but I also like the foliage!


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## Dido (Mar 25, 2010)

Very pritty plant. So much I know did Phytesia not sell Froschii. 

But you are right the leaves look to big for franchetii. Here a flower of a franchetii just in flower.




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## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 25, 2010)

Joe, from what I'm getting back from my sources (scientists and experienced growers of Chinese Cyps) your plant fits well within the concept of C. froschii. The overall color, dark purple around the lip orifice, the twisted and elongated petals, and "leafy" habit of the plant all point in that direction. These typically are found in wooded areas at lower elevations than the more usual C. tibeticum varieties. I was even told that your plant likely is from Yunnan stock originally.

Rare plant! I'd self it and flask the seed.


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## parvi_17 (Mar 25, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Joe, from what I'm getting back from my sources (scientists and experienced growers of Chinese Cyps) your plant fits well within the concept of C. froschii. The overall color, dark purple around the lip orifice, the twisted and elongated petals, and "leafy" habit of the plant all point in that direction. These typically are found in wooded areas at lower elevations than the more usual C. tibeticum varieties. I was even told that your plant likely is from Yunnan stock originally.
> 
> Rare plant! I'd self it and flask the seed.



This is very interesting to hear! So I guess I'll call it Cyp froschii then. Boy, did I ever get a good deal on this one!


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## parvi_17 (Mar 25, 2010)

Dido said:


> Very pritty plant. So much I know did Phytesia not sell Froschii.



I don't think they've ever sold anything _labeled_ as froschii either, but these were labeled as flavum. Their plants are supposed to be lab propagated though, so I don't know how a froschii could've ended up in their stock. Maybe they have some there that just haven't been released to the public yet, and this was a mistake? I don't know. I'm still waiting to hear from the Phytesia representative.

I can say that I saw another of the plants from this batch, and it was definitely a tibeticum. But I think they were all supposed to be divisions, not seedlings. The tibeticum I saw seemed to be an older plant than this - as I mentioned before, this one seems to be a first bloomer. Shawn (the guy I bought it from) said the rhizomes he got were all different sizes.


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## monocotman (Mar 25, 2010)

*froschii*

Joe,

That plant definitely looks like a froschii. I have a very similar plant that is doing the rounds in the UK under the name 'tibeticum pale'.
I've checked my 'bible' on cyps by Phil Cribb but he doesn't mention froshii at all.
But he states that the whole macrantha subsection of cyps is pretty much a taxonomists nightmare with very few clearcut species.
You wouldn't be the first person to receive a mislabelled cyp. 
I have at least four. Again, all seed grown in Europe. 
The problem is that it takes several years to grow a seedling to flowering size and that is enough time for the odd mistake.
The problem appears to have happened in the nursery beds when more than one cross was grown in the same bed - accidents with labels etc.
Anyway you lucked out on this one!

regards,

David


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## kentuckiense (Mar 25, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> I'm still waiting to hear from the Phytesia representative.



Good call. I'd be hesitant to change any tags before I heard from the original source.

Whatever it is (and I agree that it _looks_ like froschii), it's quite nice.


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## parvi_17 (Mar 25, 2010)

monocotman said:


> Joe,
> 
> That plant definitely looks like a froschii. I have a very similar plant that is doing the rounds in the UK under the name 'tibeticum pale'.
> I've checked my 'bible' on cyps by Phil Cribb but he doesn't mention froshii at all.
> ...



Thanks for the comment David.

Yes I used Cribb's book to try to identify this plant. Unfortunately froschii was described 2 years after the book was published.

I'm thinking now that it's pretty safe to call this a froschii (though I'm still waiting to hear from Phytesia to be sure). I wondered about it in the first place but was skeptical...but you guys are convincing me!


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## fundulopanchax (Mar 25, 2010)

It looks very nice. Froschii is a great plant. If you grow it outside make sure that it stays very dry throughout the winter!

Good luck!

Ron


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## parvi_17 (Apr 1, 2010)

So I received word from the seller that Pascal from Phytesia has confirmed that this is a froschii. I'm pretty excited. What's funny is that I was hesitant to buy this plant, and I would've really missed out if I hadn't!

Thanks to everyone for the comments!


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## Dido (Apr 1, 2010)

So you can be really lucks. 

May froschii just starts to flower with 2 flowers, will post a photo if I will find the time for it. 

Take care of it. It is a really dark colour for froschii.


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## Dido (Apr 1, 2010)

I think you can be very lucky with that. 

And this nice colour still is very unusual. The most plants in Europe are 
a different colour. 

Will post a picture of my plant just started to flower with 2 blooms.


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