Double Flowers? Is that Unusual?

[czygyny]

This is my only Paphiopedilum I have. I picked it for the nice flower but more for the spotted foliage. Of course, it being a market plant it has no ID tag.

It does well for me and blooms every year, but last year it had two flowers on the stem. This year it had only one. Are two unusual, and can I expect it to do this again?

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Not sure about two blooms at once, but I must say, amazing gorgeous plant and I love the color!

[czygyny]

Originally Posted by TOMMYMIAMI

Not sure about two blooms at once, but I must say, amazing gorgeous plant and I love the color!

Perhaps you'll like a close-up-and-personal look:

[RJSquirrel]

yup happy paphy's with some sequential or multi floral backgrounds often give up 2 or more flowers

nice happy paphy you got there

[czygyny]

Originally Posted by RJSquirrel

yup happy paphy's with some sequential or multi floral backgrounds often give up 2 or more flowers

nice happy paphy you got there

Well then, my goal shall be to keep my pretty paphy happy and maybe get multiples in the future!

[Paphluvr]

Two flowers on one spike is not unusual, it depends on the parentage of the plant. Some species (and therefore hybrids made using them) carry more than one flower per spike or are sequential bloomers. Your plant looks very healthy and I would expect it produce a double spike again if good horticultural practices are followed.

Nice flower, too!

[MrHappyRotter]

You could call it unusual, as in, most paph hybrids that don't have multifloral parentage only bloom with one flower per spike. However, the vast majority of paphs in that group are perfectly capable of producing 2 and sometimes even 3 flowers per spike, with 2 being fairly common and 3 being a little more rare.

Some plants will produce 2 flowers per spike with every flowering, others only do it when they've received tip-top care. For the most part, the plant has to have the genetic predisposition to be able to produce more than 1 flower (which yours has) and the right environmental factors to support it.

My guess is, as your paph gets larger and has more growths to sustain more blooms, and assuming it continues to receive great care, the double blooms will happen more frequently, but perhaps not on every spike. The photo you posted indicates that the plant has large flowers in proportion to the size of the foliage, it takes a lot of energy and nutrients to support a large flower, let alone two. Meaning, it's going to struggle more to produce a double flowered spike simply due to the size of the flowers. So, enjoy it when it happens, but don't expect it every time and I think you'll be happy!

[RosieC]

I've had a it happen on one of my complex hybrids that usually only produces one. I think, like has been said above, that when it's particularly happy it can happen if there is any genetic influence from the parents to have more than one flower.

When it happened for me I noticed that the second bud formed upside down with it's base pressed upwards towards the base of the first bud. It formed later than the first, and was very small while the first opened, then developed to full size once the first was open.

[NYCorchidman]

There is no sequential or multiflowering species in the background of this type of paphs.

It is "roughly" and commonly referred to as "maudiae" type paphiopedilum. Vast majority of plants under this type bloom with one flower per stem. Two per stem is more of mutation that occur at random. It has nothing to do with good care.

It is very pretty, although I prefer to see single flower per stem on this type of paph.
Many of these paphs will bloom more than once a year.

I'm glad it does well for you.

Enjoy~

---------- Post added at 01:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:11 AM ----------

Originally Posted by RosieC

I've had a it happen on one of my complex hybrids that usually only produces one. I think, like has been said above, that when it's particularly happy it can happen if there is any genetic influence from the parents to have more than one flower.

When it happened for me I noticed that the second bud formed upside down with it's base pressed upwards towards the base of the first bud. It formed later than the first, and was very small while the first opened, then developed to full size once the first was open.

When there are two buds forming on one spike, they face each other until they are open, so one of them is always upside down.

I too find it very interesting how they "correct" themselves when open.

One of my complex also came with two huge flowers per spike (and it had two spikes, both of which had two flowers, so could be genetic). I am waiting to see the second performance to see how it will turn out.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

There is no sequential or multiflowering species in the background of this type of paphs.

The only thing I would note on this, is that a site in the UK sells both sequential and single flowering "Maudiae". This very fact is why I commented to you on another thread that I'm wary about plants tagged just as Maudiae because they are obviously just a similar hybrid if they have managed to get them sequential. They must have added something to the mix which gets the sequential nature but still gives offspring that look like Maudiae. The same place also sold 'vini' colour versions of both the sequential and the single flower versions, also calling them Maudiae.