Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Paph Satin Smoke




This gorgeous hybrid owes most of its striking charisma to the Paph micranthum parent, which lends its large pouch with contrasting smaller tepals having pink-red stripes to the picture. The primulinum parent adds a slightly altered pouch and tepal shape (more slender), more subdued coloring (the pouch is ivory and the tepals a soft misty pink), a multifloral habit (2-3 sequentially opening flowers per stem), and ease of culture, which is a major drawback for micranthum. So what you get is a flower very similar to micranthum, but in greater numbers and appearing much easier than micranthum! I don't believe any of the hybrids made with micranthum are any better-looking than the species (not even Magic Lantern), but this is an amazing plant well worth seeking out. I have taken three photos of the same flower at different angles so one can fully appreciate the three-dimensional character of the bloom (which is a feature of any slipper orchid but especially with this one).