Heirloom clone: Paph Alcibiades 'Bertsch'

[Fairorchids]

Here is an illustration of, you need to know what you are looking at. If you saw this flower on a sales table, you would think that it is a relatively poor flower for a modern hybrid. However, there is a lot more to the story:

Paph Alcibiades is a 2nd generation hybrid, registered in 1905 by Sir George Holford:

Pod parent: Paph Leeanum = (insigne x spicerianum)
Pollen parent: Paph Monsieur de Curte = (boxallii [syn villosum] x insigne)

Paph Leeanum is the most used breeder that I am aware of, but Paph Alcibiades is not far behind. According to OrchidWiz 2013, which lists 24,544 hybrid names for Paphiopedilum:
Leeanum : F1 = 215 & Progeny = 15,934 (64.9%)
Alcibiades: F1 = 117 & Progeny = 11,222 (45.7%)

For a second generation hybrid, this flower is spectacular. I don't know whether anyone has ever checked, but based on the flower and the appearance of the foliage, I would not be surprised if this clone turned out to be 4N.

I found this plant on Ebay last year, and it has grown so well, that it can be divided next year.

[WhiteRabbit]

Awesome!

[tryingtoflower]

I love the shape of the flower and your beautiful photo too.

[Fairorchids]

Thank you.

And for reference, here is a photo of Paph Leeanum, the pod parent. Alcibiades is a vast improvement, with the villosum var. boxallii grandparent bringing the spots back.

[tryingtoflower]

Thanks for all the great information. I'm new to this genus and I appreciate it.

[lotis146]

Wow, that is a cool flower and I see how it is an improvement on the parent.

What is it that suggests the plant is 4N?

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by lotis146

Wow, that is a cool flower and I see how it is an improvement on the parent.

What is it that suggests the plant is 4N?

Two hints of 4N are:

Wider, longer & very stiff leaves.
Flower is sturdier & significantly larger than any of the 3 species and their primary hybrids.

[No-Pro-mwa]

It's lovely.