Phragmipedium schlimii

[MrHappyRotter]

I know I've posted this before, but I figured I'd share a couple pics of this season's first bloom.

I decided to experiment a bit with this plant, and moved it to one of the shadier shelves on my stands, growing right beside the parvies. It seems to be working out for the better. The leaves on the latest growth are so much wider now, and the growth over all is bigger and healthier than previous ones. There's a bit less leaf tip die back, as well. And finally, this plant is already starting to push out 2 (or maybe 3) new growths, where as it's always only ever put out 1 new growth at a time.

Anyway, it's hard to beat this species, and there's obviously a ton of very stiff competition in the genus Phragmipedium. The flowers are small, but brightly colored with a purple or pink pouch, spots, rose blush, and splashes of very bright yellow. To top it all off, it's fragrant, very pleasantly so at certain times of the day.