mrhappyrotter
Grand Chupacabra
Paphiopedilum Memoria Larry Heuer (malipoense 'Jerry Bass' AM/AOS x emersonii 'Swan')
I have probably posted photos of this one before, but it's so nice, might as well post it twice or thrice or whatever.
This plant was from Piping Rock and I purchased it circa 2012 or so if memory serves me correctly. It's been a slow but fortunately steady grower for me over the years. It doesn't tend to produce more than 1 new growth at a time, so I'm in a perpetual state of concern that if anything bad happens to it, it will be a goner. I'm afraid to even take it to judging in case it gets awarded and then ends up getting cursed (i.e. dies after getting awarded).
This seems like the largest flowered Paph in my collection and I'm pretty sure it has the largest ratio of flower size to foliage spread of any of the slippers I've bloomed so far. The flower is enormous by any standard, so it's impressive given how small the plant itself is. From tip of the petals, this flower is 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) wide and the petals are about 2.5 inches (6 cm) from top to bottom at the widest point.
On this year's spike, the plant tried to produce 2 buds, but I snipped one off intentionally so that this thing doesn't bloom itself to death. Seems like it blooms about every other year or two, which is acceptable to me given how much effort and energy it takes to produce this bloom.
The flower is faintly scented, but I think most people would just assume I'm imagining it because it is hard to detect. While I do wish it was more fragrant (given that both parent species are), I'm fine with this outcome.
In the past, folks have suggested this is one of the mislabeled Shun-fa Goldens that made its way into the USA before vendors started openly selling those. I'm not saying that's not a possibility, but given the provenance, timing of purchase, overall appearance of the flower and foliage, as well as the fact that the flower is barely fragrant at all, I feel confident that this is the real deal MLH. What do you think?
I have probably posted photos of this one before, but it's so nice, might as well post it twice or thrice or whatever.
This plant was from Piping Rock and I purchased it circa 2012 or so if memory serves me correctly. It's been a slow but fortunately steady grower for me over the years. It doesn't tend to produce more than 1 new growth at a time, so I'm in a perpetual state of concern that if anything bad happens to it, it will be a goner. I'm afraid to even take it to judging in case it gets awarded and then ends up getting cursed (i.e. dies after getting awarded).
This seems like the largest flowered Paph in my collection and I'm pretty sure it has the largest ratio of flower size to foliage spread of any of the slippers I've bloomed so far. The flower is enormous by any standard, so it's impressive given how small the plant itself is. From tip of the petals, this flower is 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) wide and the petals are about 2.5 inches (6 cm) from top to bottom at the widest point.
On this year's spike, the plant tried to produce 2 buds, but I snipped one off intentionally so that this thing doesn't bloom itself to death. Seems like it blooms about every other year or two, which is acceptable to me given how much effort and energy it takes to produce this bloom.
The flower is faintly scented, but I think most people would just assume I'm imagining it because it is hard to detect. While I do wish it was more fragrant (given that both parent species are), I'm fine with this outcome.
In the past, folks have suggested this is one of the mislabeled Shun-fa Goldens that made its way into the USA before vendors started openly selling those. I'm not saying that's not a possibility, but given the provenance, timing of purchase, overall appearance of the flower and foliage, as well as the fact that the flower is barely fragrant at all, I feel confident that this is the real deal MLH. What do you think?
