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Sunday, March 16, 2008

In bloom: Comparison of Paph. venustum varieties

Actually, I have lots of stuff in bloom now. Its that time of year. But for the moment I'm going to post 2 Paph venustum plants.

Paph. venustumThe first photo is a straight Paph. venustum, which I got last year from The Little Greenhouse. It has a nice form which is pretty flat. Many venustums have reflexed petals. She's a keeper!

Paph. venustum var. pardhaniiThe second plant is Paph. venustum var. pardhanii, and came from Parkside Orchids just this past Paph Forum. (you can't beat instant gratification). There are many venustum varieties, and I own several seedlings, but I haven't actually seen very many blooming in person. This variety is supposed to be more colorful or have stronger color, and it does. It was difficult to capture, but the venustum above has sort of a brown shade on the petals and only yellow and green on the pouch. This pardhanii has definite a red shade on the petals and the pouch has a hinting of this color too. Form is obvously reflexed, but it is still an attractive little flower.

Paph. venustumAnd as a bonus, the foliage on venustum is always really attractive!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What can I say? It is just beautiful! I always think Paphs look like something from outer space.

jess said...

Your plants are beautiful! I bought a paph. for my mom's birthday last year, and it has since sprouted a second plant right next to the original. do you know how often they flower?

- jess

Julia said...

Hi Jess,

Thanks for the compliment!
How often they bloom varies a little bit depending on type and how fast they grow. In general, they bloom when the new growth matures, which can be anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. Typically though they bloom at least once per year. So keep an eye on that new growth you mentioned and look for it to send up a flower after it is about as big as the one that already flowered.