Paphiopedilum Nitens

[Ed M]

Paphiopedilum Nitens is a classic primary hybrid from 1877, a cross of insigne x villosum. It also occurs as a natural hybrid.

 

[tim]

Do you have provenance for this plant? Do you know if it's from a recent crossing or an old one? Certainly beautiful, and an exceptionally important parent in the development of complexes...

 

[Ed M]

I bought the plant about ten years ago at a local orchid show sales table and it was labeled, "Paph. insigne". Once I got it home and did some checking it was obviously not insigne, but rather the hybrid Nitens. (There is much purple spotting at the base of the leaves, and at the distal end of the shield there is a projection instead of a notch.) I'm guessing that it's an old plant, because it matches web photos from all over the world of a particular Paph. Nitens. There is also a photo on this website ( by a different grower) from 2008 of a plant originating from Mexico where it has been grown in coffee plantations for 120 years, nearly ubiquitous, and it looks identical.

 

[abax]

It's a lovely bloom and something about it reminds me of gratrix. Maybe
the shape of the dorsal is similar to the gratrix. I have.

 

[Secundino]

Love it. Simple, but simply great.

 

[Ozpaph]

looks like a 50:50 mix of both parents, to me.

 

[SlipperFan]

looks like a 50:50 mix of both parents, to me.

Me, too.