Wenshanense var. aureum

[Happypaphy7]

This plant was purchased as bellatulum in 2013.
It was in bud then, but it blasted in the next couple of months, which was expected because it went through a lot. International trip during freezing winter as a bareroot plant.
It took a while to get going, almost one full year just to start a new growth, which took 2.5 years to mature and bloom again. When the bud formed, I saw no spots and knew it wasn't bellatulum.
When it opened, I was so excited!! Never been so happy with a mislabeled plant like this.

Since that first blooming under my care, it has been growing non-stop & blooming very well.
It has been in the same pot and potting mix since 2013. Good root system.
It needs repotting now because there is no room left for newer growths to go.

 

[Guldal]

I love it! And I also would have been more than content, if a mislabeled/misidentified plant turned out to be such a gorgeous beauty! And compliments, too, on the patience, skill and perseverance in your cultural endeavour!

Oh, and did I remember to say, that I would be more than happy to help you out in respect to the lack of space in the pot - just send a division or two my way!

Kind regards - and Merry Christmas!
Jens

 

[Happypaphy7]

I love it! And I also would have been more than content, if a mislabeled/misidentified plant turned out to be such a gorgeous beauty! And compliments, too, on the patience, skill and perseverance in your cultural endeavour!

Oh, and did I remember to say, that I would be more than happy to help you out in respect to the lack of space in the pot - just send a division or two my way!

Kind regards - and Merry Christmas!
Jens

Well, maybe next time I fly to Southern Sweden for Mid Summer dance...
Just kidding! I do not approve of smuggling of plants. or...no, didn't say anything. haha
Merry Christmas!

 

[howard peter martin]

This plant was purchased as bellatulum in 2013.
It was in bud then, but it blasted in the next couple of months, which was expected because it went through a lot. International trip during freezing winter as a bareroot plant.
It took a while to get going, almost one full year just to start a new growth, which took 2.5 years to mature and bloom again. When the bud formed, I saw no spots and knew it wasn't bellatulum.
When it opened, I was so excited!! Never been so happy with a mislabeled plant like this.

Since that first blooming under my care, it has been growing non-stop & blooming very well.
It has been in the same pot and potting mix since 2013. Good root system.
It needs repotting now because there is no room left for newer growths to go.

I would think this is bellatulum but the aurea form

 

[Stone]

Lovely plant. I would agree with the wenshanense name

 

[Guldal]

I do not approve of smuggling of plants. or...no, didn't say anything. haha

Well, I wonder, whether we are talking smugling here at all due to the plants hybridic nature? The naturally occuring hybrid P. x wenshanense might be found on the CITES list (I dont know?)...but P. Conco-bellatulum (the manmade one) shouldn't be!
And coming to think of it: as you purchased the plant wrongly identified as P. bellatulum, how do you actually know it's Wenshanense? Isn't it much more likely, that it actually is Conco-bellatulum? A not uncommon source for misidentification are, in my experience, hybrids sold under the name of just one of the parents!

I.e. just bring the plant to Sweden for the celebration of midsommer with a clear conscience...I will meet you there and bring the schnaps! ("Keine Hexerei, nur Behändigkeit"...as they say south of the border! )

 

[Happypaphy7]

I would think this is bellatulum but the aurea form

I don't think there is a such thing as bellatulum aurea. I've seen ones with pale pinkish spots and an ablum form with completely pure snow white (not cream white) with no pigments on the leaves.

This is known as weshanense var. aureum in my knowledge.
Also, at the time of purchase, there were two boxes next to each other. One was a box full of bellatulum and the other one full of wenshanense. I bought two of each. When they bloomed later, two were bellatulum, and the other two were wenshanense. Out of two wenshanense, one was a standard spotted flowered one, and the other one was this spotless cream yellow one. I have kept bellatulum and this one.
The leaves all looked the same. So I think it was just a case of a tag being placed on the wrong plant right before the trip for USA.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Well, I wonder, whether we are talking smugling here at all due to the plants hybridic nature? The naturally occuring hybrid P. x wenshanense might be found on the CITES list (I dont know?)...but P. Conco-bellatulum (the manmade one) shouldn't be!
And coming to think of it: as you purchased the plant wrongly identified as P. bellatulum, how do you actually know it's Wenshanense? Isn't it much more likely, that it actually is Conco-bellatulum? A not uncommon source for misidentification are, in my experience, hybrids sold under the name of just one of the parents!

I.e. just bring the plant to Sweden for the celebration of midsommer with a clear conscience...I will meet you there and bring the schnaps! ("Keine Hexerei, nur Behändigkeit"...as they say south of the border! )

I just replied to another member's comment above. You'll find some answer about the identity of the plant there.
Do they speak German near the southern border? By the way, I only understand the first half of that line. Keine Hexerei. Does that mean you just have to run fast to get to the other side of the border without getting caught or something??

 

[Guldal]

Well, in the South of Jutland they speak a dialekt 'sønderjysk', which has a more marked and recent influence from german, but I think, they would be upset if you said it sounded like german to you (just ask P.K.Hansen here on STC)!
Three is, though, a large german minority living in this part of Denmark, whose mothertongue is german. Likewise there is a large danish and danish speaking minority South of the border.

Concerning the saying, I think it might translate into English somewhat like this: No magic, only cleverness! Which I applied to your concern about smugling
and my proposal concerning solving it!

 

[Djthomp28]

Gorgeous and ever bloom. Are the paphs purchased at the same time blooming as well?

 

[Stone]

The naturally occuring hybrid P. x wenshanense )

I know someone who visited the wenshanese habitat. It's not a hybrid.
Here are his pictures.... and discussion.. https://www.orchidsforum.com/threads/paphiopedilum-wenshanense.21061/

 

[Happypaphy7]

Gorgeous and ever bloom. Are the paphs purchased at the same time blooming as well?

I have kept this one and the bellatulum. Both plants started to bloom in 2016 under my care. While bellatulum has been streadily growing and blooming, it is nothing like this plant. My bellatulum is a lot slower growing and bloom only once a year around late summer. It has finally started to send out more than once growth now. I see four new growths of varying stages.

So this wenshanense is special. It is always growing and blooming throughout the year.

 

[Happypaphy7]

I know someone who visited the wenshanese habitat. It's not a hybrid.
Here are his pictures.... and discussion.. https://www.orchidsforum.com/threads/paphiopedilum-wenshanense.21061/

Thank you, Mike!
I love seeing in-situ photos.
The person in the article says there were no concolor or bellatulum in the immediate area, but it is an area where both species are known to occur.
Concolr is very wide spread, probably the most wide spread paph species. Bellatulum habitat is much smaller in comparison but it is within the overlapping reginos where conoclor occurs. Perhaps western most range of bellatulum habitat (Burma) is where concolor is not (yet) growing.
I'm not saying anything for or against the idea of wenshanense being its own species or possible natural hybrid, but just adding info.

 

[Stone]

Thank you, Mike!
I love seeing in-situ photos.
The person in the article says there were no concolor or bellatulum in the immediate area, but it is an area where both species are known to occur.
Concolr is very wide spread, probably the most wide spread paph species. Bellatulum habitat is much smaller in comparison but it is within the overlapping reginos where conoclor occurs. Perhaps western most range of bellatulum habitat (Burma) is where concolor is not (yet) growing.
I'm not saying anything for or against the idea of wenshanense being its own species or possible natural hybrid, but just adding info.

There's no doubt they all have a common ancestor but from what I know, natural hybrids are usually found in the vicinity where both parents grow. Usually as individual plants here and there but sometimes they form large swarms of plants interbreeding with each other. This is how new species are formed and given that wenshanense is isolated from bellatulum and concolor and lives in independent, self perpetuating colonies it must be regarded as a species in it's own right whether it's ''new'' or not. And it is. The same an probably said of josianae and myanmaricum. I believe that some concolors are so different from each other they may also be in the process of becoming species.

 

[DrLeslieEe]

This is definitely not a bellatulum album as the leaves are darkly marked underneath.
It could be what Happypaphy7 says as wenshanense aureum. It could also be concolor sulphurinum.
Can you take a clearer picture of the flower and the staminode? That may help in the ID.

 

[P.K.Hansen]

Really wonderfull flowers.
Well Jens, it takes more than calling us german-sounding to piss me off
I do speak fluid german though, and living in an area that was german until 100 years ago, I have german roots too.
We're a pretty mixed breed down here.

 

[Guldal]

....living in an area that was german until 100 years ago...

Allow me to correct you, as part of my family came from Sønderjylland, too. The area was definately not "german untill 100 years ago"....the area was occupied by Germany (maybe more precise: greater Prussia) from 1864 to 1920. Before that the area as the double dukedom of Schleswig-Holstein belonged to the danish crown, and was part of what during some time was named 'Helstaten' (litterally translated: 'The Wholestate'). My great-grandfather, who was danish, was in WW1 forcibly conscripted like so many other danes in the occupied area, and died for, what was in no way his 'Kaiser' on the east front. This was a severe trauma for my paternal grandmother, who was about six years old, when she lost her father...and marked and marred her for the rest of her life.

 

[NYEric]

Nice, show some close-up of the foliage.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

I've always been a sucker for yellow flowers, so "wow" is all I can say. I really enjoyed the habitat shots as well. Thanks all for sharing.

 

[cpmaniac]

I can't comment on the identity, but it's certainly a delicate beauty...well done!