"I noticed this stonei on ebay & watched the bidding. No clonal name listed, horrible picture - would you bid & pay that much?"
No way. I'd not bid or pay that much! There's something fishy about this offering. First of all, the vendor doesn't even know how to spell the name....it's "stonei", not "stonii". Plus, why even bother to assure people that the plant was collected "before" CITES if there's nothing to be guilty about anyway. Also, if it's awarded, then, providing the clonal name and award information is a selling point. It seems that the vendor doesn't seem to realize that if a plant is awarded, then, a clonal name and award abreviation should follow the (correctly spelled), species name. So, it looks like he's just adding sales hype, without providing evidence. I also question that the flower shown is awarded, at least not in recent years. The petals curl severely. Good examples of this species these days don't have such curly petals. Have a look at the photo at the top of Antec's "Paphiopedilum Species Photo Files" for a good example of this species. Finally, that price is way too high for anything but a recently awarded HCC or AM. Wendy bought a multigrowth stonei last March at an orchid meeting. It was in bloom with very good colour and form. The price was something like $60. I can't remember the exact price; but, it was in that ball park.
