Paph. delenatii Bloomed

[Jill H]

Hi,
I've just purchased this one from Oak Hill Gardens. No bloom or spike(I bought it that way) Did you do anything in particular to get it to send up a spike? I repotted it yesterday. Your's is lovely!
Jill

[quiltergal]

Thanks Jill! I'm growing mine warmish with my Phals in slightly brighter light. I think cool night temps may be what triggers spiking same as for Phals.

[elliej]

Terri - you should be proud, that is a lovely bloom. How large is the overall plant? Thanks for sharing!

Joy

[gmdiaz]

I don't know which I like better, the lighter pouch or the darker one. . . both are lovely in a warm and fuzzy way.

[quiltergal]

Thanks elliej! The plant is about 8-10" from leaf tip to leaf tip, and consists of two growths. It's in a 3.5" pot.

[Mahon]

Terri,

Great bloom! Your plant is actually a VERY well formed Paph. Ho Chi Minh, which is the primary hybrid of Paph. delenatii and Paph. vietnamense. The leaves should have a sliver cast to it, and be somewhat ruffled with sparse mottling. Leaf undersides should be nearly solid purple, an inherited trait of Paph. vietnamense.

Here are two of my Paph. delenatii, which may demonstrate the new and the old forms, and the species in general.

The plant on the left is considered the "New Type", which was most recently discovered in the 1990's in North VietNam and Yun Nan, China. These are considered easier to bloom and more attractive than the older type.

The plant on the right demonstrates the older type for the species deriving from the Vacherot et Lecoufle specimen (who knows how many years and generations). The staminodial shield is notably different in coloration and markings, but still have similarities with the "New Type". The leaves also differ some, with denser mottling.

Anyways, enough of my rambling nonsense, good growing!

-Pat

[charmbutterfly]

I'm not a paph lover but my word this one is stunning!!

[quiltergal]

Thanks for the great information Pat. I'm not sure if you can tell from just looking at the foliage if it's Ho or not. Pic one is the whole plant, pic two shows the bud just emerging from the sheath. The undersides of the leaves look just like the sheath. Purple speckled. The tag just says delenatii.

[Mahon]

Terri,

I'd say that your plant is a "New Type" Paph. delenatii, as I have noticed the leaves (when young) can sometimes generate a ruffle to them, but start to harden more once more leaves arrive. The leaves of "New Type" Paph. delenatii seem to have a 'netted mottled' pattern, similar to Paph. vietnamense. Also, the last leaf that precedes the inflorescence is more upright and hugging the inflorescence in both Paph. Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh; most of the time) and Paph. vietnamense...

Great job blooming your plant! I'd love to see it when it blooms!

-Pat

[quiltergal]

Pat, you'll have to wait until next winter for my next bloom on this one.

I do have a couple of questions for you since you seem to know a lot about Paphs and delenatii in particular. When this plant bloomed it had two buds. Just as the second bud was opening the petals and sepals on the first flower started to turn brown. It had been blooming for about 2 weeks. As soon as the second one was fully open the first one dropped. I'm not sure how long the flowers are supposed to last, but that seemed kind of a short bloom time to me. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong culturally? It's on the top shelf of my rack in relatively bright light. Gets watered twice a week. Once with 125 ppm N MSU, and once with tap water.

Thanks for your help!