# Paphiopedilum wolterianum album (syn. appletonianum album)



## DrLeslieEe (Mar 22, 2020)

I originally purchased 5 of these from a German vendor named Hilmar from Redlands last year from his selfing. This is the first to bloom. Second one blasted here (not sure why) and a third one is in spike at Zephyrus. The other two is thinking of budding lol. 

Colour is apple green with a deep green emerald staminode markings. There are however brown dots on the base of the petals. This does exclude it from being complete album. In fact the term album really doesn’t apply to this green flower, but rather alboviride, meaning green and white. Due to the brown dots, it is more quasi-alboviride. Note both leaves and inflorescence/stem are green. 

Form is quite nice compared to the amabile album next to it. The petals hold nicely, facing the front, with white tips. 


In 4 inch pots with leafspan of 15 cm, one growth. NS 7 cm.


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## musa (Mar 23, 2020)

I have the same one from Hilmar, probably a sister of yours, blooming now the second year...


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## Don I (Mar 23, 2020)

You learn something everyday. I never knew that's what alboviride meant. Thank you for that. This one has better form for sure.
Don


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 23, 2020)

musa said:


> I have the same one from Hilmar, probably a sister of yours, blooming now the second year...


Yes a sibling... any pics of flower? Would be nice to compare the differences.


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 23, 2020)

Don I said:


> You learn something everyday. I never knew that's what alboviride meant. Thank you for that. This one has better form for sure.
> Don


Thanks and welcome. The term album only (and should) applies white flowers.


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## KateL (Mar 23, 2020)

Wow - I’ve never seen one before. Very cool!


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## Ozpaph (Mar 24, 2020)

outstanding.


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 24, 2020)

Thanks for comments. I hope it will get stronger next year with even bigger flowers.


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## musa (Mar 25, 2020)

Here is mine fore comparison, sorry for the quality of the fotos but at the moment there is no time for better ones:

It blooms the second year in a row.
The inflorescens is extremley short.


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 25, 2020)

Thanks Musa for the pics. It is great to have two of these to compare.

I notice the following:

1. the flowers have similar shapes; hooded dorsal, open forward facing petals and a narrow oblong pouch. Your pouch rim protrudes a little more, and flares outwards. The staminode shield and stalk look also the same. The proportion ratio of the dorsal sepal and petals look different with your dorsal looking much bigger.

2. the colour spread look similar, with the flower green and petal tips white, and the minute brown dots on the petal bases. The real green colour of yours is hard to pinpoint due to it being a flash pic in the dark. Is it similar to the apple green of mine (looks yellow green now)? Maybe if you get a chance to photograph in natural light if you can (indirect bright light, like a north window). The staminade green veining is also similar.

3. plant size looks similar as well, so I presume the maximum size is reached by my plant. I do notice the short flower stalk has brown pubescent hair in your pic. Is this true or just shadows from the flash? Perhaps the short stalk is a trait in these albums as normal coloured type appletonianums have really tall flower stems (up to 30-50 cm high). Mine now is about 20 cm tall.

I wonder if there is a pic of Hilmar's mother plant and flower for comparison?


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## musa (Mar 26, 2020)

Leslie, thanks for your precise comparison.
I agree with you. Only in one point my fotos are misleading, the hairs on the flower stem are white but the stem itself has a slight purple flush becoming green towards the base and the flower. I suspect that is due to the age of the inflorescence because I found a foto from last year, where it is still perfectly green. Would be interesting if you'll make the same observation.

As the flower is coming clearley to its end the colour is changing already to yellow, so I give you a foto from last year as well ( black bachground, south window without flash). Unfortunately there is no better material:





I'll ask Hilmar if there are pics of the motherplant.


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## Hakone (Mar 26, 2020)

Another paphiopedilum appletonianum var. Immaculatum ( Ha Giang Orchids Nursery )


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 27, 2020)

Thanks Musa for last year’s pic as well. It closely resembles the colour of my flower now. I love that both of ours have that thick forward facing petals. Makes a big difference in the majestic carriage and presentation. 

I did take a picture of the sale pic at Hilmar’s booth. If I can find it again I will post here. I am not sure if that was the mother plant though. The reason is that the petals are narrow and twisted (see my observation and explanation below).

Also thanks Hakone for sharing pics of the immaculatum variety of appletonianum from the nursery. It is actually the correct name for the album variety. 

One thing I would like to point out. Most of the appletonianum var immaculatums (that I have seen in Japan) have very narrow petals that twist downwards past the midpoint. I wonder if this differentiates the wolterianums from appletonianums.


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 27, 2020)

Here’s a pic of appletonianum var immaculatum (album) that I took at Tokyo Orchid Nursery last year February 2019. You can see the downward twisted narrow petals. 

I also noticed a slight difference in the staminode, in that it has less green veining than both the ‘wolterianums’. 

Flowers look overall more dainty in these appletonianums (along with the nursery flower shown by Hakone) while the wolterianums look more chunky. Maybe it’s my eyes?


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## Hakone (Mar 27, 2020)

you recognize in :

1/- paphiopedilum appletonianum f. Album Asher ex Gruss in Die Orchideen 51(6) : 746, 2000

2/- paphiopedilum appletonianum f Album Asher ex Gruss in Genus Paphiopedilum , Albino Forms , Olaf Gruss : page 16 - 19

3/- paphiopedilum appletonianum var. Immaculata Braem in Paphiopedilum , A monograph of all Tropical and subtropical Asiatic slipper- orchids , Dr. Guido J. Braem , page 152

this is real album


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## Hakone (Mar 27, 2020)

your plant look like : 
1/- paphiopedilum robinsonii ( Ridley ) Ridley in Flora of the Malayan Penisula 4 : 232 (1924 )
2/- cypripedium robinsonii Ridley in Journ. Fed. Mal. Museum 6 : 183 ( 1915 ) 
3/- paphiopedilum cerveranum forma viride (BRAEM) BRAEM in Orchidees. Culture et protection , 38 (2): 2;1999
4/- paphiopedilum robinsonii forma viridum BRAEM in Genus Paphiopedilum , Albino Forms , Olaf Gruss : page 42 - 44


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## Hakone (Mar 27, 2020)

according Harold Koopowitz , Tropical Slipper Orchids , paphiopedilum and phragmipedium Species and Hybrids : " paph. appletonianum is closely related to paph. bullenianum ans sometimes the two are difficult to distinguish. Some plants recently named, like paoh. cerveranum seem to be variants from within the Vietnamese populations of paph. appletonianum.Another plant, paph. wolterianum, appears to be a Long-stemmed form of paph. appletonianum. 
If one is to make sibling crosses it is best not to mix the various forms. One form of paph. appletonianum , often informally called var. aureum, had petal tips of a yellowish beige Color. Paph. appletonianum f. Album had pure green Flowers. Curiously These Flowers have inflorescence stems that are pigmented with some anthocyanins, so they can not be considered as true Albino forms " , page 120 - 121 .


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 27, 2020)

Thanks Hakone for the list. 

The unfortunate part is that this appletonianum complex is ever changing and no taxonomist can agree what differentiates one from the other. Appletonianum itself is so variable that all others can fit comfortably in the continuum. That’s why no one agrees and the group is always changing.


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## musa (Mar 28, 2020)

That is a peoblem, like in many other cases.
The downward bent apical half of the petals and their narrow shape of immaculatum seems to be quite obvious.
Concerning the staminode besides a difference in colour it seems that the sharp dents are missing, or at least they are strongly bent backwards. Can you confirme that?


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## Phaladdict (Mar 28, 2020)

Nice! I have the same too from Hilmar, still not bloomed though


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 29, 2020)

musa said:


> That is a peoblem, like in many other cases.
> The downward bent apical half of the petals and their narrow shape of immaculatum seems to be quite obvious.
> Concerning the staminode besides a difference in colour it seems that the sharp dents are missing, or at least they are strongly bent backwards. Can you confirme that?


Yes Musa. Good observation for these pics. 
The staminode of the wolterianum/appletonianum is like 2 lungs side by side, with an indentation at the basal edge, creating an inverted V shape. The immaculatum pic lacks this indent and is pointed at the bottom.

However, as I wanted to confirm the the staminodes of these album varieties in the literature, I summoned my Oaf Gruss's album book and Orchid Digest album annotations, as well as Braem's books and Koopowitz's recent annotations in Orchid Digest (Dec 2018), some interesting observations were made:

1. appletonianum albums have the indented staminode at bottom (some with a small tongue like tip, making an inverted W) 
2. cerveranum fm. viride has the rounded tip staminode (like the immaculatum)

So this makes the whole thing messy. 

Because this means that the appletonianum from Tokyo nursery is a cerveranum, which according to WCSP is a synonym for appletonianum!!!!!.

Then I looked at the staminode of my amabile album (syn. bullenianum) and it looks nothing like the published staminodes in the books/articles of bullenianum, but similar to the rounded staminode of the cerveranum aka appletonianum!!!

Based on staminodes, the bottom line is this.... 

What we thought as amabile/bullenianum is actually appletonianum album/viride/immaculata. 

What we thought was wolterianum is also appletonianum album/viride/immaculata. 

What we thought was appletonianum (Tokyo nursery pic) was a cerveranum fm. viride, which is a synonym for appletonianum album/viride/immaculata. 

So, after all this, Musa and Hakone, they are ALL appletonianums! LOL


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## musa (Mar 29, 2020)

A very sound conclusion of the characteristics of staminods, thanks for summarizing it, Leslie!

One basic question puzzles me still: How should be rated the characteristics of staminodes, petalforms, ovaries bracts, habit, etc...? And what does it mean for taxonomy. 
I'm aware that a straight answer won't be possible but how is to deal with it.
The problem also emerges in treating misslabled plants, especially when hybrids come in.


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## Ozpaph (Mar 29, 2020)

i like the flower


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 30, 2020)

musa said:


> A very sound conclusion of the characteristics of staminods, thanks for summarizing it, Leslie!
> 
> One basic question puzzles me still: How should be rated the characteristics of staminodes, petalforms, ovaries bracts, habit, etc...? And what does it mean for taxonomy.
> I'm aware that a straight answer won't be possible but how is to deal with it.
> The problem also emerges in treating misslabled plants, especially when hybrids come in.


Taxonomy in the old days were based on similarity of flower parts, flower colour, plant parts and growth habits. Similar ones were grouped together and given species names in published print material. These days, DNA markers are used to compare similar ancestry as well. 

Because of DNA, there has been some radical revelations of groups of plants being related even when the flower and plants are drastically different. When moved together and renamed, it created some controversy and many unhappy people. 

For example, they moved Neofinetia into Vanda! That was a travesty to the Japanese growers. 

Another example is moving Laelia (mini ones) into Cattleyas. Not many Cattleya experts liked that. 

But that is currently the accepted method of classification, a combination of old world taxonomy with the DNA sequencing to confirm.


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## Guldal (Mar 31, 2020)

Your appletonianum is a very beautifull example, Leslie - and looks so well grown. Kudos for culture!

Hilmar (Bauch of Assendorfer Orchideensucht) has seemingly sold innumerable plantlets of this cross under the epithet 'album'.
I wholeheartedly agree with you, that that's misleading - as both yours and musa's photos show. This is further made evidently clear when compared with the photo of Hakone's flower! As stated before, it is with true albinism as it is with pregnancy - you are either pregnant or not! (A consideration most appropriate with the botanical designation for the albino-form of the species being 'immaculatum'...semi-imm...no, that's simply not viable! ).
The appropriate name for the colour form of yours and musa's plants might probably be more in the direction of: appletonianum fma. albovirescens (Hort.).

Leslie, I loved you expound on the theme of appletonianum/amabile/cerveranum/bullenianum/etc.
Braem states in the 2nd edition of his book on the genus, that: "_Paphiopedilum appletonianum _and _P. bullenianum_ are two of the most problematic taxa in _Paphiopedilum _taxanomy" (Braem et al., 2016, p. 279f.) - so no wonder, if some of us lesser spirits get confused...albeit, now on a higher level! And, after all, botanists have to be kept occupied, haven't they! 

Kind regards, Jens


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## Hakone (Mar 31, 2020)

I agree with you ich , appletonianum fma. albovirescens. Here is true appletonianum immaculatum
Photograph : Vu Dinh An , owner : Luat Nguyen Huu.


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## Guldal (Mar 31, 2020)

Splendiferous examples, Hakone...as immaculate as the Holy Virgin herself...and possibly ready to join her in her assumption into Heaven!


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## Markhamite (Mar 31, 2020)

I'm in love with this plant.


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## DrLeslieEe (Mar 31, 2020)

Guldal said:


> Your appletonianum is a very beautifull example, Leslie - and looks so well grown. Kudos for culture!
> 
> Hilmar (Bauch of Assendorfer Orchideensucht) has seemingly sold innumerable plantlets of this cross under the epithet 'album'.
> I wholeheartedly agree with you, that that's misleading - as both yours and musa's photos show. This is further made evidently clear when compared with the photo of Hakone's flower! As stated before, it is with true albinism as it is with pregnancy - you are either pregnant or not! (A consideration most appropriate with the botanical designation for the albino-form of the species being 'immaculatum'...semi-imm...no, that's simply not viable! ).
> ...


Thanks for your kind words.

In regards to designation, albo-virescens still mean a white and green flower without any browns/reds. That's why proposed 'almost' or quasi-alboviride. 

Here in lies the issue with labelling of sales inventory:

If a flower appeared phenotypically album but produced quasi album offsprings, is it wrong to label as album parent if offsprings were not flowered yet? 

What if some offsprings were pure albums and others quasi? Will that disqualify all albums from this selfing as pure albums because their sibs were not pure albums? I have seen cases like this with hirsutissimum alboviride where some offsrpings had brown spots on petal bases and others didn't. 

The other issue is that the flower is mostly green/white even with brown dots here and there. It will always when selfed produced similar flowers or more pure albums. It will not result to the type coloration with reds and browns. In other words it is a stable color. The question is, will labelling it an album be an issue since these browns may disappear in some offsprings? I suspect these brown spots as merely part of the same genetic pathway as the hairy pubescent and not a color gene. 

I myself have no issue with naming an albo-virescens, even with sporadic minute brown spots on flower (contrary to taxonomists).


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## musa (Apr 1, 2020)

If my vocabulary serves me well, virescence means becomming greenish what implies not being totaly green. That would be viridis. So the expression is at least comprehensible, even though not being conforme with taxonomists.


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## Guldal (Apr 2, 2020)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Here in lies the issue with labelling of sales inventory:
> 
> If a flower appeared phenotypically album but produced quasi album offsprings, is it wrong to label as album parent if offsprings were not flowered yet?
> 
> What if some offsprings were pure albums and others quasi? Will that disqualify all albums from this selfing as pure albums because their sibs were not pure albums? I have seen cases like this with hirsutissimum alboviride where some offsrpings had brown spots on petal bases and others didn't.



In this case, though, I don't think we need to bother ourselves addressing this issue. In Hilmar's
webshop there is a picture of, what I assume is, the flower of the motherplant - with exactly the same minute dark spots:
https://www.asendorfer-orchideen.co...lterianum-var-album-x-self&controller=product

But, Leslie, compared with the photo of your clone, your flower is definately the better one!


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## DrLeslieEe (Apr 2, 2020)

Thanks Jens for the link and parent pic.
It does indeed have the brown spots on the basal petal portion. That's where the offsprings got it from.
Goes to show that even with a selfing, the form can improve over the parent. Kudos to Hilmar for doing this!


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## Ozpaph (Apr 3, 2020)

I think 'albinism' is a phenotypic trait and not a genetic trait ie - it either looks album or it doesnt. How it breed might be important but doesnt define the parent unless observers disagree about the albinism.


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## DrLeslieEe (Apr 10, 2020)

Here is the second wolterianum to bloom from my Redland batch. Plant now belongs to Zephyrus Orchids (check them out on instagram). Note the good shape and the minute brown marks at petal base as well. Staminode is similar to mine. 



Pic property of Zephyrus Orchids*


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