Pleione limprichtii and Whakari, 1st blooms

[braxtonds]

More Pleione bloom photos. I decided to try out a few new pleione vendors this year and will have a bunch of first time blooms that I will need verified. These are the first to bloom for me.

The first 3 photos are labelled as limprichitii but might be formosana. Also there appears to be a purple spotted lip and a brown spotted lip varieties. The 2nd group to bloom are labelled Pleione Whakari (next 2 photos). I'm not too sure what Whakari looks like and there aren't too many bloom photos online to compare it to, but it looks an awful lot like Tongariro and also might be mislabeled. The last 2 photos are group shots.

Any pleione experts are welcomed to throw in their 2 cents. These are just the first blooms, many more to come. Thanks!

[nikkik]

Those are awesome! I was thinking about trying some this year. If you don't mind my asking, what vendor did you purchase them from?

[u bada]

magical blooms! how are you growing them?

[braxtonds]

Thanks, they are growing in a sphag/bark mix and kept just barely damp until leaf growth starts. They need a dry cool period too.

I bought the whakari off ebay, but I'm nearly certain that they are just Tongariro so I don't want to recommend the seller at all. The limprichtii are from a chinese vendor but again I'm fairly certain they are another species. It's very hard to find a reliable vendor for pleiones when you live in the states.

[WhiteRabbit]

Wonderful!

[Leafmite]

They are absolutely beautiful! Congratulations!

[Maryanne]

Gosh, those look wonderful, regardless of mistaken identity.
I bought my first Pleiones this year - limprichitii and grandiflora - from Ron Burch of the Gardens at Post hill. Sate of Connecticut. He's got a website and is responsive to email. He also has Cyps.

Wish me luck, I've never delved into Pleione before.

Happy growing

[Tindomul]

Outstanding!!!! As my friend is fond of saying, we've got multiple organisms! That is just gorgeous!!