Would Appreciate Your Input!

[tmoney]

hi all,

hope its ok to post a link to our video, because its easier to describe and ask in video format. but, we would hope that some folks with more knowledge and experience might give us some insight into crossing some of our paphs...we are considering some crosses between esquirolei alba, primulinum, liemianum, and a hybrid Lebaudyanum. tia for any input!!

 

[mrhappyrotter]

I'm not a breeder, I just enjoy slipper orchids. So, keep that in mind.

For my preferences, I think the best choice for hybridization of the plants you listed would be Lebaudyanum x liemianum. The outcome could be similar to a hybrid like Paph. Jolly Holiday (here's a spectacular example I found here on ST) with nice coloration.

Personally, I would not do any serious hybridization with the Paph. primulinum unless it came from a very, very reputable and trusted vendor and the plant has a known provenance. Unfortunately, nearly all modern primulinums in cultivation are actually hybrids. To me it's better to avoid this concern altogether.

If your esquirolei is full-blooded alba, you could just self-pollinate it and develop more alba progeny. Personally, I'm not big on alba slippers, but if you are, this would be a way to get more. Even if it's not pure-blooded, the mix of seedlings that result will have some amount of albas in them.

If you wanted to go for an oddball hybrid, Lebaudyanum x esquirolei would likely result in outcomes somewhat similar to Paphiopedilum Humoresque. However, I wouldn't get my hopes up on that too much, as I would expect Paphiopedilum Humoresque to be the superior hybrid in every measure, except perhaps ease of blooming.