A watched pot never boils

[Laserbeak]

How in the $@(^ did I miss this!?!?!?!

I've been watering this plant regularly, but it was on my bottom shelf towards the rear and I never noticed what it was doing until last night! Look at this!!!










It is a Paphiopedilum 'Mamie Wilson', does anyone know if that is sequential or multifloral? It's obviously got more than one bud! It's never bloomed for me before.

[RosieC]

[MrHappyRotter]

As you probably know, Paph. Mamie Wilson (no quotes, Mamie Wilson is a hybrid, not a clonal name) has a sequential multifloral parent, and a concurrent multifloral parent. Any individual clone could go one way, the other, or something in between.

Mamie Wilson and similar hybrids tend to bloom in a way that can be described as intermediate between the two parents. Most of them carry between 3 - 6 flowers. The flowers typically open sequentially, at times days or a week or more apart. It's not uncommon for these plants to have all or most of their flowers open at the same time (like a concurrent multifloral) for a short window of time, and then the oldest blooms will die off in sequence.

Some of it depends on genetics, some of it depends on environment. In ideal conditions, individual blooms will last longer, making it much more likely that the plant will carry all of the blooms on the spike at once, and for a longer period of time. But, there are going to be some clones that, no matter how good the growing conditions, will only ever have 2 - 3 blooms open at a time.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, in response to your question, you'll find out soon enough! Good luck and congrats on blooming it.

[Fairorchids]

We have one in bloom right now. It looks like it will produce at least 6 flowers, which seem to open at least 2 weeks apart. It currently has two flowers open.

[katrina]

Congrats on the spike!!

BTW - I miss spikes/buds frequently. Way more than I like to admit. I've surmised that it's a conspiracy by the orchids in order to try and get me to give them EVEN MORE attention. You know...if i miss a spike they hope I'll think I must be neglecting them or something. They are sooooooooo needy.

[Laserbeak]

The first bud opened! It looks more like a Raisin Pie than what the picture of this is supposed to be on the Internet. It can't be though, that's not multifloral.

[lotis146]

Wow, how nice!

[NYCorchidman]

Beautiful!
I definitely see lowii and primulinum. nothing maudiae like. lol

By the way, that is one big spike to miss!