Description
IMPORTANT NOTE: these plants are NOT IN BUD/BLOOM when shipped. PLEASE look at all the pictures in this listing so you know the condition/size of plant you’ll be getting.
Paph armeniacum is one of the most distinctive, and desirable, of all Paphiopedilum orchids. Its big pure yellow flower is one of only a handful of species of the ~100 known Paph species that produces a yellow bloom, and it is definitely the most intensely colored of the yellows. On top of it, it is one of the few Paphs that produces a fragrance, reminiscent of raspberries. This species comes from China and Vietnam, and has been very sought after by collectors and breeders since the 1980s, when it was discovered. Besides its beautiful bloom, its the mottled patterning and texture of its leaves are almost unmatched in Paphs (P. micranthum has almost identical leaves), and perhaps only matched in all 30,000 known orchid species by one other type, Oeceoclades spathulifera (and maybe a couple more of that genus). Of course, Oeceoclades is found in Madagascar about 5000 miles away. Another near-unique aspect of P. armeniacum is its stolonous growth habit — it will send out long runners from the base of the plant which might look like a root at first, but actually will open up into a new fan of leaves. Its close cousin, micranthum, also does this.
As attractive of a species as P. armeniacum is, it’s not for the beginner. It grows slowly, and seems to have a very narrow sweet spot for thriving growth. Rumors abound on the best way to grow these — in a hanging basket with sphagnum, in a hanging basket with sphagnum moss, with plenty of oyster shells in the media, etc. Every successful grower has their own way of growing these, and collectors keep on trying. Growing this species well has been the undoing of many a Paph nut, so caveat emptor! But if you do grow them well, you’ll feel ten feet tall and covered with fur. You will have leveled up, beaten the boss monster, earned the brass ring, defeated the white whale, vanquished the dragon, and earned the right to brag and gloat to all and sundry in orchidom.
