Hi, Ted,

I've listened to a few paph/phrag lectures, including those of Harold
Koopowitz, and they all seem to define the basic difference between the
paph and the phrag as old world vs. new world. I don't know about the
cypripedium as I believe some species are found in Asia. I don't recall
anyone mentioning the chromosome thing.

In as far as wetness, both seem to enjoy wet feet.

Regarding the following:
Is such variability in the flowers normal for phrags in particular, or for lady's
slippers in general?

Yes, I have heard this said of paphs:
also that cloning doesn't work with them (so reproduction from seed is the
only means of propagating them).

Although I have few phrags and paphs, I find coloration pretty
consistent in most phrags and paphs with exception of Bessesae hybrids
(an observation). I have also observed that hybrids in general are more
inconsistent than species when it comes to coloration.

.. . . Pam
Everything Orchid Management System
http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html

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Ted Byers wrote:

"Rob Halgren" wrote in message
...

setting it too deep. What you gain in thermal efficiency, you lose in
light. For me, that isn't a bad thing, my chosen orchids are pretty low
light (paphs and phrags, mainly). If you are a vanda grower in the

I have a question for you. I have only one paph and one phrag, both
presently being kept with my phals and appartently doing nicely, so my
question may just be a reflection of naivety, but I can't tell the
difference betwen paphs, phrags and cypripediums (are there others in the
cypripedium alliance?). One grower told me that these three, at least, are
from different parts of the world and have different numbers of chromosomes,
and that phrags like to be just a little wetter than paphs. Finally, he
said that intergeneric crosses involving these genera never work (which
would be no surprise if they have different numbers of chromosomes), and
also that cloning doesn't work with them (so reproduction from seed is the
only means of propagating them). Is this true? Are there morphological
differences that I can look for that will allow me to tell each genus from
the others?

WRT the one phrag I have, it is a first bloom seedling, presently on its
second flower (i.e. the second flower on the first inflorescence it has ever
produced), and it seems to me this flower is quite different from the first
on the same inflorescence. The first had MUCH richer colours, pink and
yellow, while the second seems to have the same colours but mostly washed
out. Also, the laterial petals on the first (they are petals aren't they,
and not the sepals?) were quite flat while on the second they are twisted
like a cork screw. The top sepal on both was and is quite flat. Is such
variability in the flowers normal for phrags in particular, or for lady's
slippers in general?

Cheers,

Ted