Paph. delenatii PHOTO
one from the "original" strain from the early 1900s...soft citrus-like fragrance during the day.
'Sunrise' x 'China Doll'
The tale of Paph. delenatii is quite the interesting one from a standpoint of orchid conservation. It was initially discovered by a French army officer in northern Vietnam in 1913, and was named after the director of a French botanical garden. However, all of the collected plants died shortly after importation, save for one plant sent to the firm of Vacherot and Lecoufle in Paris. That plant was selfed and is believed to have given rise to all the Paph. delenatii in cultivation, thereby showcasing the potential of artificial propagation in maintaining a rare species in cultivation. The species was rediscovered in 1922 and was formally described at that time.
For nearly 70 years, there would be no further reports of Paph. delenatii in the wild, and the species was thought to be extinct. In the early 1990s, however, the species was rediscovered in Vietnam, populations were stripped, and plants quickly made their way to Asia, Europe, and the United States. Fortunately, the "new strain" of delenatii is now widely available in cultivation, and with that one hopes that the desire for wild-collected delenatii has decreased accordingly.
Paph. delenatii is an easy enough grower under standard paphiopedilum conditions. It is one of the few fragrant paphs, with a pleasant scent that has been described as citrus or rose-like. Of note, Paph. delenatii is perhaps the only member of section Parvisepalum that does not grow in close contact with limestone. Quite the contrary, it is reported to grow in acidic, granite-derived substrates, and for this reason lime supplementation is not recommended. The new strain of delenatii produces flowers that are extremely similar to those from the original strain, save for perhaps slightly larger flowers and diminished or absent fragrance. In addition, new color forms of delenatii have been discovered in recent years, including a pure white alba form and another form reported to have a solid dark red pouch.
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Originally Posted by Piper
