Paph praestans

[SlipperKing]

OK Guys, I'll try to get a photo of the two species side-by-side.

 

[couscous74]

That's a real beauty!!:clap:

 

[Trithor]

Eager anticipation!........

 

[SlipperKing]

Here is what I have. This comparison may not be typical. I'm sure the other Rick would be the first to say, "Across both species ranges you will have variation in plant sizes. Which, overlapping will occur"
Personally, I think its man-made overlapping from years of cris-crossing these and others back and fourth but that's just my split personality coming out!

A little closer look

Finally, you may say the wilhelminae is nothing more then a seedling but can see from the last photo a bloom sheath of sorts. So, it may still be a seedling but a blooming potential one.

 

[Rick]

Here is what I have. This comparison may not be typical. I'm sure the other Rick would be the first to say, "Across both species ranges you will have variation in plant sizes. Which, overlapping will occur"
Personally, I think its man-made overlapping from years of cris-crossing these and others back and fourth but that's just my split personality coming out!

There's probably more overlapping these days because of crossing, but even the type description in Cribbs text has overlap which should be based on wild material.

These flowers are distinctly yellow/pale in comparison to wilhelm flowers and the staminode should be somewhat different. That link to Garay's treatise will probably be posted again pretty soon by someone.

Flower count is typically a bit higher for praestens (3 is rare for wilhelm).

The praestens/wilhelm dilema would make a good pHD thesis DNA and pollinator study.

The differences do breed true, but with more develepment in PNG I wouldn't be suprised if intermediates are found at different elevations.

 

[SlipperKing]

Thanks Rick for the insight. I knew you would be my first responder!

PS. your stuff looks phenomenal!

 

[SlipperFan]

That's pretty amazing, at any rate.

 

[Trithor]

I have a few old clones of wilhelminae, and the plant size is very much the same as yours. Dark flowers, usually only two per spike and vey small plants with leaves that are tufted upright.

 

[paphioboy]

Nice comparison. I wouldn't let that wilhelminiae flower as the single growth looks a bit weak, considering the new growths are not mature yet.

 

[Stone]

Ok so the bigplant in flower is praestans and the little one says glanduliferum which is praestens too insn't it? What am I missing I have dark storm x red star too and it looks nothing like that!

 

[emydura]

Ok so the bigplant in flower is praestans and the little one says glanduliferum which is praestens too insn't it? What am I missing I have dark storm x red star too and it looks nothing like that!

From what I can see of the tag it also says var gardineri which is now wilhelminiae. I think at one point they were considered the same species.

 

[Stone]

From what I can see of the tag it also says var gardineri which is now wilhelminiae. I think at one point they were considered the same species.

Ah I see! I thought gardineri was praestans too. So that means I have 2 wilhelminiae clones and no praestans. We'll have to fix that!
Thanks David

 

[SlipperKing]

This newest praestans admitely is the largest I've seen. I have other plants from US sources smaller then this but still larger then the wilhelminae above. This maybe the new norm from selective line breeding and not the true nature of the species.
I have never seen collected praestans or wilhelminae to know for certain.