Paphiopedilum leucochilum ‘Blackest Knight’ AM/AOS

[DrLeslieEe]

I was nervous about judging today for my leucochilum and thought it was passed… but as it turned out, an award! It scored 85 points, a solid score. The judges loved the really round petals and the intense dark pigmentation.

Here’s pics from the day’s event and the glamour shots lol .

 

[Tony]

Congrats!

 

[PeteM]

Great job, I just saw it posted on the AOS fb feed, I jumped back here to get the details. No FCC? What do you need to get to 90 for this species?

Well done. Beautiful plant.

Wanted to ask, the live sphagnum moss and large pot. Is that what you are really growing it in or is this just for aesthetics?

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Great job, I just saw it posted on the AOS fb feed, I jumped back here to get the details. No FCC? What do you need to get to 90 for this species?

Well done. Beautiful plant.

Wanted to ask, the live sphagnum moss and large pot. Is that what you are really growing it in or is this just for aesthetics?

This is my take on the reason.

The intense dark solid color and round petals are FCC quality.

The hooding of the dorsal sepal and the pouch pigmentation (it is a trait of leucochilum pouch to be pure white) was not desirable, which lowered the score. The rim of pouch was also wonky a bit.

To get an FCC, of 30 points for form, it must score 28/30 (reality 26/30 for dorsal hooding, slight flower cupping and pouch rim wonkiness), color must be 28/30 (pouch color reduced to 27/30), size 9/10 (here 8/10), stem 9/10 (here 9/10), floriferousness 8/10 (here 7/10 with one flower), and substance/texture 8/10 (8/10 here).

This 90 was reduced to 85 points when you total the score up. It was so SO close as you can see. To get the 85, the score range would have been 83 to 87 points on each of the 4 judges’ score card to average 85 points.

The large pot and green moss was just decorative .

 

[Guldal]

Congrats, Leslie. Very well deserved, as also the scoring of the judges showed!

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Thanks Jens.

This score may set up the next leucochilum that is in bud now to possibly score higher?!

 

[Guldal]

 

[Ray]

OK. It says the award is provisional - "Species identification required". How do you do that?

 

[GuRu]

Great flower Leslie and congrats to the award .... but I'm wondering about the name, where is there leucochilum, a white pouch ??

 

[Tony]

OK. It says the award is provisional - "Species identification required". How do you do that?

The AOS has a Species Identification Task Force that examines detailed pics of the awarded plant to verify its ID.

SITF Blog

 

[noochka1]

Gorgeous plant. Congrats!

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Great flower Leslie and congrats to the award .... but I'm wondering about the name, where is there leucochilum, a white pouch ??

This line of breeding increases dark pigmentation everywhere including the pouch.

 

[GuRu]

This line of breeding increases dark pigmentation everywhere including the pouch.

Leslie, if you cross two albums of a species and among the offsprings is a normal coloured plant, which might be possible, is this plant then an alba because it was line breeded? And please, name me few differences, except the name, between your flower and a flower of P. godefroyae ?

 

[Ray]

The AOS has a Species Identification Task Force that examines detailed pics of the awarded plant to verify its ID.

SITF Blog

Thanks, Tony.

I wasn't aware of that.

 

[southernbelle]

Congrats, Leslie! It deserved the AM, at the least!! If it were to be determined by the SITF that it's not a leucochilum, would that negate the award? Would it have to be re-judged to be awarded as a different species or would the scoring still apply.

 

[orchidmouse]

Great job.
CONGRATS.

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Glamour shots in light box today!

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Congrats, Leslie! It deserved the AM, at the least!! If it were to be determined by the SITF that it's not a leucochilum, would that negate the award? Would it have to be re-judged to be awarded as a different species or would the scoring still apply.

If it comes back as godefroyae, it will be listed as that award.

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Leslie, if you cross two albums of a species and among the offsprings is a normal coloured plant, which might be possible, is this plant then an alba because it was line breeded? And please, name me few differences, except the name, between your flower and a flower of P. godefroyae ?

The issue is that godefroyaes and leucochilums are separated ONLY by one physical trait, a white lip. Which if you think about it is quite silly because a selfing of a pure leuco will produce some with pigmented pouches.

On top of that, the DNA of both will likely show 95% or more of the same, that all known markers will likely be identical. Proving once and for all it’s the same species.

So to answer you Rudolf, if you’re a lumper you say all are godefroyaes but those with white lips are var/fm leucochilums. If you’re a splitter, you will maintain till you die that this comes from a leucochilum line and will remain a leucochilum no matter what pouch color shows.

Does that answer your question?

 

[David B]

This is a stunning flower, and a detailed description was necessary. I was unable to judge it, as I was on Leslie's team, but one thought that was not addressed in the description was the remarkable color and marking on the reverse of the segments. I thought that it was unusual and significantly different, as I was drawn to examine them in detail. When the award is published, I'm sure the reverse photo will be included.