Paph glandiferum

[Rick]

What is the leaf span Lance?

According to Garay (who I personally don't agree with on this one), it can't be wilhelminea because the petals are twisted.

Its hard to see in this photo, but the staminode should have stubby horns on the top corners. At least from looking at the picture it looks pretty much like the wilhelminea flowers in Cribbs book which were taken in-situ in the New Guinea highlands.

But much of the taxonomic differences have more to do with the adult size of the plant, flower count, and type locality, and we can only get 1 of 3 of those parameters from the picture.

 

[Rick]

Here's my "wilhelminea",twisted petals and all. I got it from Andy's who swears the parents were New Guinea highland origin. The plant is multigrowth and leaf span is rarely greater than 6". So far flower count has never exceeded 2 per spike (but it tried for a wimpy 3rd once). I can post a bigger pic, but you can see the horns on the staminode on the left flower.

 

[gonewild]

Leaf spread was about 7 inches on the old leaves. The pot in the picture is a 3.5 inch. This plant had only one flower on the spike but I have seen another one in the same group with 2 flowers.
Here is a cu of the same flower.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I think this issue is complicated by the many names associated with these plants.....praestans, gardneri, glanduliferum, wilhelminiae, bodegomii.....As far as I know, wilhelminiae (syn. bodegomii? I believe) has clearly been separated as its own species...but what about the other 3? Not only that, combined with the wilhelminiae plants that were believed to be conspecific? Sounds like a headache to me....but Eric, you should be very happy.....you may no longer have a species! Take care, Eric

 

[Rick]

Leaf spread was about 7 inches on the old leaves. The pot in the picture is a 3.5 inch. This plant had only one flower on the spike but I have seen another one in the same group with 2 flowers.
Here is a cu of the same flower.

Those horns are distinct in your cu pic, and the leaf span is nice and small. I'd call it wilhelminea. Any idea of the collection local?

 

[Roy]

Lance, its either wilhelmiae or gardinieri. Very very nice.
I had this paph checked as best as possible by Guido Braem and its nice too.

I call it a genuine P.praestans.

 

[NYEric]

Sounds like a headache to me....but Eric, you should be very happy.....you may no longer have a species! Take care, Eric

Dammit! That's it; out the window!:viking:

 

[Roy]

Throw it my way please. oke: :clap:

 

[littlefrog]

Lance's photo looks like my 'wilhelminiae' (only better, grrr). I think mine came from Orchid Zone several years ago.

I've actually only seen a true glanduliferum exhibited on one occasion. Either they are hard to grow, very rare, or both?

 

[Rick]

I just saw 2 blooming and a bunch of seedlings at Sam Tsui's table at the Memphis show. They are like big wilhelms with more blooms too.

There don't seem to be any metrics other than size that really differentiate it from wilhelm if Sam has the genuine (glanduliferum) plant. The little staminode horns were not as obvious as I've seen in the wilhelms.

I've brought this up in the past, but there is an eco phenomenon called clinal variation. This may be a good example of this were the lowland variant is big and floriforous, while the highland variant is stumpy in comparison, and they do breed true (its not just a difference in climatic conditions causing different growth).