Paph bellatulum fma album

[DirGo]

My absolute most favorite albino !!!
First flowering of two young plants earlier this year I had purchased way in 2019.


To be honest getting new fans mature and healthy is still a bit of a challenge.... new fans are growing but I don't like the brown area that develops on older leaves . Already took different treatments (fungus, mites, sucking insects..) but any advice will be appreciated.

 

[DrLeslieEe]

This brown leaf problem is a curse for the Brachy group.

In my experience, it happens often with godefroyaes and bellatulums all the time. I feel its fungi-related to moisture, especially water drops sitting on the leaves. Best to cut off, treat with cinnamon and keep dry.

Ooops, forgot to say: AWESOME FLOWERS!!!!

 

[GuRu]

These are both absolutely stunning flowers. Congrats.
P. bellatulum album is the one and only Brachy I have to struggle with. I grow it side by side with its normal form but though this one grows very well the album form doesn't do so. But I still hope....one day I will see it flowering as beautiful as yours.

 

[DirGo]

Thank you both for advice/comments. The regular bella is not suffering the same problem and sits right next to it. The fungi after stalled water sounds about right, it is always in a "spoonlike dent" it tend to start. One of my personal challenges is not changing too much too fast while experimenting with a bit dryer/cooler/lower humity/more ventilation/longer dry rest... along the way. When changing too many things together you never learn what exactly solved it or made it worse. I might increase a bit more ventilation right after watering to make it dry the leaves a bit faster.
Kind Regards, Dirk.

 

[Ozpaph]

both very nice. The left sided plant's pouch looks classic bellatulum. Not sure about the right one.

 

[DirGo]

both very nice. The left sided plant's pouch looks classic bellatulum. Not sure about the right one.

Very good point! I am fully with you Ozpaph... This flower had a very hooded flag so I took the picture a bit upward "looking in" showing more of the flag and flower insides; but that angle made the pouch look shorter/broader. Here is another picture a bit more horizontally taken. Better but still showing a bit broader than the left one. Next flowering I will make sure I also take picture full horizontal to better show flower proportions.

 

[Ozpaph]

that looks less 'godefroyae'

 

[GuRu]

Very good point! I am fully with you Ozpaph........Next flowering I will make sure ......

that looks less 'godefroyae'

Dirk, I must write again as a lumper. When I look closely at your first photo....I can't see any hint/trait, really any, which reminds me to the influence of another species, e.g. Paph godefroyae. Staminode look the same, the flower shape looks the same....only the shape of the pouch is slightly different. Keep in mind these are seed progagated plants and even if they are sibling plants they don't look the same by genetic rules. This is so in the realm of plants as well in the realm of animals including human beeings.

 

[DirGo]

Dirk, I must write again as a lumper. When I look closely at your first photo....I can't see any hint/trait, really any, which reminds me to the influence of another species,

Thanks for your comment Rudolf. Honestly I also consider both bellatulum within the normal variation of the species for now, but I appreciate OzPaph comment because I never anticipated that the low angle of taking my pictures completely distorted the shape. For me the lesson learned from his comment was to include eye-level angle pictures from now on. I will post a new picture on next flowring, hopefully this can provide more insights.

PS. always very valuable comment from all. of you I like them!

 

[fibre]

I love the pure white colour of the first one and the broad petals of the second flower! Two very beautiful Paph. bellatulum!

 

[Murray F]

Great flowers. I find that the dryer you keep them ie only water in warm weather and preferably have under a fan giving good air movement stops most if not all of the damping off. Best remedy is to cut off and liberally dose with cinnamon

 

[DirGo]

Great flowers. I find that the dryer you keep them ie only water in warm weather and preferably have under a fan giving good air movement stops most if not all of the damping off. Best remedy is to cut off and liberally dose with cinnamon

Thanks for your advice Murray, pretty aligned with Leslie's comment above: if you made the leaves wet, make sure they dry fast afterwards and keep air circulating to discourage the fungi.