# Lowii



## IdahoOrchid (Mar 1, 2007)

lowii 'Princehouse' x sib is starting to open. Princehouse is an awarded flower and I am hoping it has imparted its charms on this cross. So far it looks like the petal shape is what I was hoping for. The pouch looks like it will be nicely colored as well. Time will tell.


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## eOrchids (Mar 2, 2007)

Nice Steve!

Can't wait to see the final product!


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## NYEric (Mar 2, 2007)

Great photo.


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## IdahoOrchid (Mar 4, 2007)

I think it is fully open.

Should I get it judged?


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## WolfDog1 (C. Williams) (Mar 4, 2007)

Very pretty.

I say that it never hurts to put a flower in a show or
take it to monthly judging. My first award was on a flower that I put in a show and would have never dreamed it would be awarded.....silly me. 

My 2nd award was one that I thought was beautiful and took it to our monthly judges meeting where it was awarded an AM. 

I SAY SHOW IT OFF!

If the judges choose not to score it.....oh well. 
You've lost nothing. If they do and award it, you've gained an AOS award and lost some $. 

Craig


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## Heather (Mar 5, 2007)

I think it has some more opening to do. 

How many flowers does it have? What's the natural spread? If you want to take it for judging you should compare it to the other awarded lowiis.

While I agree with Craig that judging is great for the experience and learning value, lowii is a dime a dozen and unless there is something truly spectacular about yours, it's got so many awards I seriously doubt it would be nominated for pointing.


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## Lyn (Mar 5, 2007)

*Paph.Lowii*

My husband just bought me paph. lowii princehouse at the Daytona Beach Orchid Society show.:clap: I primarily grow cattleyas so I would Love it if you could share any growing tips. Mine has three open flowers and is potted in sphagnum. :rollhappy: Thanks Lyn


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## IdahoOrchid (Mar 5, 2007)

Lyn said:


> My husband just bought me paph. lowii princehouse at the Daytona Beach Orchid Society show.:clap: I primarily grow cattleyas so I would Love it if you could share any growing tips. Mine has three open flowers and is potted in sphagnum. :rollhappy: Thanks Lyn


I will tell you the same thing that was explained to me by a way more experienced grower: since Princehouse is awarded, unless the plant came with a hefty price it is most likely like mine: Princehouse crossed with a sibling or another lowii.

As far as growing it, I am learning that too. I know they like much brighter light than most paphs, on the order of roths. Mine was in spike too, so I can't take credit for initiating the bloom.


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## Heather (Mar 5, 2007)

While it is a multifloral, I have always heard that lowii could take a bit less light than roths and their relatives. That's part of what makes them a very good first Paph. for people.

Sphagnum is probably okay for it as long as you don't over or under water.  
Personally I would probably put it in a bark mix but I am not a huge fan of sphag. 
Here is some more information on the habitat of P. lowii. http://www.slipperorchids.info/paphdatasheets/polyantha/lowii/index.html


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## Heather (Mar 5, 2007)

Here is the award data on 'Princehouse'
Remember, the plant has to be a significant improvement to be considered for an upgrade to FCC status. 


lowii 
Award Number: 20020261 
Natural Spread : 16.60 
Nat_Spr_vert : 7.80 
Ds_wide : 3.90 
Ds_long : 4.30 
Petal_wide : 2.20 
Petal_long : 8.70 
Ls_wide : 2.80 
Ls_long : 4.20 
Lip_or_pouch_wide : 2.60 
Lip_or_pouch_long : 4.40 
'Princehouse' 
Exhibitor : Bird Rock Tropicals, Carlsbad, 
California. 
Paph 
Three flowers and three buds on one inflorescence; flowers remarkable for 
their very straight horizontally-held petals; dorsal sepal ivory green 
overlaid with dark brown basal blush; synsepal translucent green; petals 
with bright yellow basal half and distinct deep burgundy spots; distal petal 
purple with paler midsection; pouch rich brown. 
Judged at : San Diego County Orchid 
Society Show and Sale, San 
Diego, California. 
Date Awarded: 3/15/2002 
80AM AOS


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## lienluu (Mar 5, 2007)

Heather said:


> Here is the award data on 'Princehouse'
> Remember, the plant has to be a significant improvement to be considered for an upgrade to FCC status.



Significant improvement indeed, especially considering this species has yet to receive a FCC. The highest so far has been an 88 pt. AM/AOS. Natural spread should go up quite a bit too, as some of the AMs have spreads of upwards of 19cm with 5 to 6 flowers per spike.


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## Rick (Mar 5, 2007)

lienluu said:


> Significant improvement indeed, especially considering this species has yet to receive a FCC. The highest so far has been an 88 pt. AM/AOS. Natural spread should go up quite a bit too, as some of the AMs have spreads of upwards of 19cm with 5 to 6 flowers per spike.



You're right Lienluu.

Interestingly on reviewing the award info on princehouse that only 50% of the buds were open. I thought that at least 2/3 or 3/4 of multi floral buds on a spike were suposed to be open at the time of judging.

Now that there are polyploids of this species in circulation, and last year was their first blooming, there's allot of anticipation this year on what the polyploid lowiis are going to do.:clap:


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## IdahoOrchid (Mar 5, 2007)

My plant is not a true Princehouse. It is a Princehouse x sib. Would that not make it a different cookie to be judged? Mine currently has an 11.5 cm spread on a first time bloom, so it is just a baby.

[Soapbox]

Polyploids = steroids and should not be allowed to be judged. It's just not natural. I know, neither are the multi-generic hybrids, but at least those are pollen to stigma and are not chemically enhanced to get that way.

[/Soapbox]


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## kentuckiense (Mar 5, 2007)

Polyploidy happens in nature, too.


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## lienluu (Mar 6, 2007)

IdahoOrchid said:


> It is a Princehouse x sib. Would that not make it a different cookie to be judged? Mine currently has an 11.5 cm spread on a first time bloom, so it is just a baby.



Yes, since it is a sib cross, it would carry whatever clonal name you would put on it. How many growths is the plant? How many flowers does it have?



IdahoOrchid said:


> Polyploids = steroids and should not be allowed to be judged. It's just not natural. I know, neither are the multi-generic hybrids, but at least those are pollen to stigma and are not chemically enhanced to get that way.



Some polyploids are the result of chemical inducements, but some are naturally occuring. Unlike animals, where polyploidity is lethal, it is perfectly okay in plants and occurs naturally. Actually, ploidity can occur in animals without it being lethal, but the result is normally detrimental. Down syndrome is the result of a extra pair (or an extra part of) of the 21st chromosome (the condition is also known as trisomy 21), making the diploid number 47 instead of 46 (three copies of chromosome 21).

One case in humans where it's okay to have multiple copies of a chromosome is with the sex chromosomes. A person could be XYY (phenotype: male) and such a person only has mild abnormalities. Including a tendency for severe acne, taller and wiry build, crooked eyes and slightly lower intelligence (and some other features).

Anyhow, enough rambling.


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## IdahoOrchid (Mar 6, 2007)

No, Lien, that is interesting. Thank you.

Other than asking the flasker to juice the plants up, how does one know if their plant is ploidy or not?


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## lienluu (Mar 6, 2007)

IdahoOrchid said:


> Other than asking the flasker to juice the plants up, how does one know if their plant is ploidy or not?



Asking a flasker to "juice" a plant up does not ensure conversion. Only a percentage of treated plants convert. The only way to definitively confirm which plants have converted would be to do a count. The same would hold true of any plant, be it a natural polyploid or induced polyploid.

There are some physical characteristics that may lead to an educated guess that a particular plant is a polyploid, but only counting can confirm. Counting will also confirm what type of polyploid the plant is, aneuploid, triploid, tetraploid, etc.


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## lienluu (Mar 6, 2007)

IdahoOrchid said:


> Polyploids = steroids and should not be allowed to be judged. It's just not natural. I know, neither are the multi-generic hybrids, but at least those are pollen to stigma and are not chemically enhanced to get that way.



The argument of what is natural and what is unnatural is moot in the completely artificial environment we have our orchids in. It's not natural for orchids to grow in small plastic pots in the middle of a huge city (in my case) in a house made of polycarbonate sheeting, watered with treated water that comes in through pipes from upstate New York. 

In fact, it's not even natural for hundreds, if not thousands of plants from a particular seed pod to survive!

I guess the main question then becomes, what is unnaturally acceptable rather than what is natural or unnatural.


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## Nautilus (Mar 6, 2007)

nice flower!


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## IdahoOrchid (Mar 6, 2007)

lienluu said:


> I guess the main question then becomes, what is unnaturally acceptable rather than what is natural or unnatural.


Yes, that is the truth.

My question/comment may have seemed high and mighty, but it did get some discussion going on the topic!!!oke: Thanks, Lien.


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## Heather (Mar 6, 2007)

Steven - what is the size of the plant? How many growths does it have? 

Thanks! 
Heather


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## IdahoOrchid (Mar 6, 2007)

It is a mature, flowering growth (uh, yeah!) and there is a small growth coming on as well. The leaves of the large growth are about 10-12 inches long.


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