Flower Friday – Paphiopedilum Orchid

~ laura lecce
Paphiopedilum - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Paphiopedilum – Photograph by Laura Lecce

I’m not sure if any of my followers are orchid fanatics, nevertheless I will tread lightly. This photograph is of a paphiopedilum orchid, and I “think” it is Paph. Lowii but I cant be sure as it was unlabeled. This very cute family of orchids has a pouch-like labellum, and are quite easy to grow, making them one of the most widely cultivated and hybridized of orchids. They come in such a huge variety of colors, and some even have very beautifully mottled leaves (although P. Lowii does not). Paphs will usually only flower from a shoot once. After using a lot of its energy to flower, the remaining energy is put towards making new shoots to replace the parent once it dies. It becomes a cycle of making a new plant, flowering and then dying, and  thus it is often possible to see multiple generations of plants in the same pot at once. Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

16 thoughts on “Flower Friday – Paphiopedilum Orchid”

    1. It really depends on the orchid. Many come from rainforests and would prefer all of that humidity. In Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia most of the orchids get misted all day and have their roots just hanging in the air… that would be two of my fave things frogs and orchids!

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  4. It is something like the slipper orchids I remember from my father’s greenhouse. They are supposed to be easy to grow, but we have yet to get ours to flower. Cymbidiums are much easier for us 😉

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    1. Yes cymbidiums do seem to be less fussy as they tolerate the sun better. Though your slipper orchids refusal to flower suggests to me that it would like more light, even some early morning sun, just be careful not to give it so much it burns… One day it will surprise you. 😉

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  5. Interesting story and bloom which I hadn’t seen before. I am familiar with cultivated orchids and they make great models for paintings. I didn’t know anything about the wild ones.

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    1. Hi Inese,
      Interestingly in the USA I see different orchids in the stores than in Australia. In Australia slipper orchids are extremely popular amogst orhid growers, in New York I see lots of pansy orchids which we don’t really have in Australia. They do indeed make great models for artwork and photographs.

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    1. I also hope to one day have a house full of orchids. Its funny that somehow orchids became associated with older people (you just have to visit one of the orchid societies to really see the trend), I think I must be a bit of a granny at heart 🙂

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