A nice little paph I just bought...

[Dorsetman]

Paph insigne var Sanderae ?
I have just returned from an Atlantic cruise ( Cunard Queen Victoria) which called at the island of Madeira ; I went to the flower/fruit/veg market - from past experience- and found some nice pots of this paph at a very reasonable price indeed, considering six flowers, and maybe 8 or 9 new growths, so I couldn't resist buying it.
It adorned our cabin for the 2 weeks of the cruise, and today, one of the first tasks was to knock it out of the pot, wash off the compost as far as possible, and put into S/H. The flowers are a little bit past it now, but still worth looking at.
My doubt about the name is because the flowers are a little big bigger than I manage with the same thing, but then, this one clearly has been grown very well indeed , but on the other hand, paph species are very fixed in their seasons, and this definitely is the right season for the species /variety I name ; if it were a hybrid it would probably flower at a different time.
Madeira has a lovely climate ( "The Garden Isle" ), and I have seen whole fields of the ordinary P.insigne there, in the past, grown for cut flowers, which they used to sell in the same market, with big buckets full of them. They had two growth / two spike flowers of insigne in the same market at 5 Euro each ( say 5 or 6 US$ ; also nice young Catt' hybrids, named, say 4 or 5 decent bulbs, probably a year from flowering at 9 Euro - I could easily have filled a suitcase with different ones - maybe another time. Madeira is notionally in the European Union, as a former Portuguese colony, so I can import into UK with no forms or hassle.

[Cjcorner]

Now that is what we need here, cruises going to islands stocked with wonderful orchids to bring home!! I am certainly green with envy...that would be too fun. Although, it might mean I would have to build another greenhouse. The current one is spilling over into the garage...LOL! Wonderful plant! I cannot wait to see it re-bloomed under your care...

[tucker85]

Wow! That's a beauty.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Now that is what we need here, cruises going to islands stocked with wonderful orchids to bring home!! ...

AMEN! My too favorite things - travel and orchids all packed together! hahaha.. Let's go Connie!!

Beautiful and truly well grown Paph insigne, Geoff. I would have got that one too.

cheers,
BD

[cdayinflorida]

very nice!

[catttan]

Great cruise and an island of orchids to boot. Can't think of anything better. Great buy too.

[phraggy]

Can understand why you couldn't refuse to buy it's such a very nice specimen. I never knew that they grew paphs in Madiera only thought they had a few acclimatised phrags. I probably wouls have had a cabin full!!

Ed

[PetSlayer]

Great buy, now I know why I have to say yes to hubbys suggestion of a trip there

[mauraec]

What a beauty of a specimen! Do they grow outside on Madeira? What would you say the temp/light/rain/humidity is there? Whatever it is, it must be perfect for paphs (the insignes anyway). I assume they're not native to the island - are there any orchids that ARE Madeira natives? Good thing I don't drink anymore, or I'd be badgering you about sending some Madeira liquid product Stateside!

[Dorsetman]

I think the best plants are grown in polythene tunnels -the way salads are grwn in much of northern Europe, for wind and weather protection, but very well ventilated, no heat of course.
The light is always good - it is latitude 32 degrees- so a region expected to be sub-tropical, but being an island, maybe 30 miles across ( quite high in the mountains (7000ft) the sea has a great modifying influence, and the temperature is say 20-25 max almost all the year, and probably hardly ever below 16 or so. Delightful after an English winter ! And so many orchids are mountain plants - when you read that they come from say Thailand, you think that means hot - but I have seen frost on the ground at 6000 ft there, and Coelogyne in full flower.