Can anyone ID this paph?!

[Orchid grower]

Hi everyone!*

I recieved this lady slipper last July as a gift from my sister. She paid quite a bit of money for it but didnt get a name. Considering what she paid I'm assuming this must be some sort of species and have a name or so I'm hoping..*

It was in bloom when I recieved it from the larger plant and the second leaf growth was just beginning. The second growth got bigger and then spiked and has now bloomed.*

I dont even know how to take care of this thing and I've literally done nothing other than water it here and there.. so I would love some advice on how to care of this plant!

The media it came in didnt look that great but I havent repotted because I'm scared I'm going to kill it. I know nothing about paphs!*

Thank you!

[aliceinwl]

I’m not an expert but it looks like a maudiae type hybrid to me rather than a species. It’s a really nice looking Paph!

[Ray]

Agreed.

Grow it similar to a phalaenopsis, with a shade more light.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Ray

Agreed.

Grow it similar to a phalaenopsis, with a shade more light.

And a tad more water.

[aliceinwl]

I’ve grown these successfully in both moss and bark based mixes. I try to water whenever the substrate is at the barely damp stage rather than letting it go completely dry. With moss, I grow in clear pots with an air space at the bottom, when the moss starts breaking down enough to fall into the air space, I repot.

Since yours looks healthy and has rebloomed for you, it must like your lighting, temperature, and watering regime. The only ones I’ve had issues with were plants I purchased that were in badly broken down moss or pro mix type substrates, in all cases they bounced back fine after a repot. If you’ve had it a couple of years and the moss is starting to look broken down, you may want to consider repotting.

Most of these are propagated by seed rather than cloning. This makes just about every plant unique and special. I have a couple of sibling pairs, that look totally different from one another.

[Ray]

All of my slippers are in S/H culture, and they don't seem to have near the "cold, wet roots" issue that phals do in winter.