Cordulus
Active Member
- Joined
- May 29, 2021
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 52
(Sib cross)
A very beautiful and misunderstood species that has rapidly become my favorite Parvisepalum, if not my favorite species of slipper. As was the case with my fairrie, I was very hesitant to even buy this plant at first, but I caved after taking some time to learn how the species grows in the wild. I wasn't expecting to see anything other than a hole in my wallet, but suffice to say that I no longer regret dropping the sixty-five dollars on it, even though it's kept me on the edge of my seat since I bought it almost three years ago.
This species is absolutely SLOW to do everything - the growths grew at less than a snail's pace, and the spikes took almost nine months to develop since the time I first saw sheaths forming. There were times when I thought the buds were going to blast, since parts of the trailing inflorescence turned brown. However, they both ended up opening into what you see now. In life, the flowers are a very pale cream with faint burgundy flecks on the petals and a medium yellow pouch with darker spots on the interior, with a light red blush at the rim. This clone is also quite fragrant, with a scent that is reminiscent of Linden blossoms with undertones of bubble gum and oriental lily. The one grievance I have about the flowers is that they blemish and bruise very easily - I don't know how folks get their plants to shows in pristine condition.
The single most important piece of advice that I can give to anyone attempting to grow this species is to make sure it never stays wet. Culturally, it behaves a lot more like an intermediate-growing Angraecoid than a Paph, needing a warmer growing season with frequent waterings done only after the medium has dried, and a cooler, drier winter rest. The plant's thick, coriaceus leaves should be a clue-in that it wants to be kept on the drier side. I have it growing in a very coarse bark mix with pieces of perlite and a THIN layer of moss at the surface of the pot. Since I have very low humidity, I use the moss layer to prevent dry spots at the top of the pot and make the medium dry more evenly between waterings. As with other Paphs, I change the medium out yearly. Since the species hails from calcareous cliffs, it benefits from added calcium and, as a result, my plant doesn't mind being watered with the city's very hard water. I would describe the light requirement as bright shade - not quite as bright as Multis, but not as shady as mottle-leaved barbata types.
I'm hoping that this one does not succumb to the monocarpic tendencies that others have observed in their clones. I'm going to interpret the new growths as a good sign but, to improve my odds, I'm going to be cutting the flowers off before they have a chance to fade so that the plant can focus on growing. The pollen is going to be donated to a local grower this time around but, when the plant is strong enough to support a pod, I want to either self it or cross it with another clone. I was going to self it this blooming, but I don't want to risk stressing it out, since I figure that the two flowers are already a strain on the plant.
A very beautiful and misunderstood species that has rapidly become my favorite Parvisepalum, if not my favorite species of slipper. As was the case with my fairrie, I was very hesitant to even buy this plant at first, but I caved after taking some time to learn how the species grows in the wild. I wasn't expecting to see anything other than a hole in my wallet, but suffice to say that I no longer regret dropping the sixty-five dollars on it, even though it's kept me on the edge of my seat since I bought it almost three years ago.
This species is absolutely SLOW to do everything - the growths grew at less than a snail's pace, and the spikes took almost nine months to develop since the time I first saw sheaths forming. There were times when I thought the buds were going to blast, since parts of the trailing inflorescence turned brown. However, they both ended up opening into what you see now. In life, the flowers are a very pale cream with faint burgundy flecks on the petals and a medium yellow pouch with darker spots on the interior, with a light red blush at the rim. This clone is also quite fragrant, with a scent that is reminiscent of Linden blossoms with undertones of bubble gum and oriental lily. The one grievance I have about the flowers is that they blemish and bruise very easily - I don't know how folks get their plants to shows in pristine condition.
The single most important piece of advice that I can give to anyone attempting to grow this species is to make sure it never stays wet. Culturally, it behaves a lot more like an intermediate-growing Angraecoid than a Paph, needing a warmer growing season with frequent waterings done only after the medium has dried, and a cooler, drier winter rest. The plant's thick, coriaceus leaves should be a clue-in that it wants to be kept on the drier side. I have it growing in a very coarse bark mix with pieces of perlite and a THIN layer of moss at the surface of the pot. Since I have very low humidity, I use the moss layer to prevent dry spots at the top of the pot and make the medium dry more evenly between waterings. As with other Paphs, I change the medium out yearly. Since the species hails from calcareous cliffs, it benefits from added calcium and, as a result, my plant doesn't mind being watered with the city's very hard water. I would describe the light requirement as bright shade - not quite as bright as Multis, but not as shady as mottle-leaved barbata types.
I'm hoping that this one does not succumb to the monocarpic tendencies that others have observed in their clones. I'm going to interpret the new growths as a good sign but, to improve my odds, I'm going to be cutting the flowers off before they have a chance to fade so that the plant can focus on growing. The pollen is going to be donated to a local grower this time around but, when the plant is strong enough to support a pod, I want to either self it or cross it with another clone. I was going to self it this blooming, but I don't want to risk stressing it out, since I figure that the two flowers are already a strain on the plant.
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