You may recall that I got a paph malipoense in very low spike in
mid-September (so about 4 - 4.5 months ago). It's bud is still slowly
opening, it now looks like it is stretching out, and its pouch has visibly
grown inside, though it still has a ways to go, so someday it is going to
open.

Just thought I would post an update for anyone who may be wondering how long
it really takes a paph malipoense to spike. It is quite a long time. It's a
very active plant though, I can see progress every week, so I am still
enjoying it a lot, and looking forward to it blooming eventually.

Now if that theory about the longer an orchid was in spike the longer it
bloomed had been correct, the paph malipoense would be in bloom for at least
a years and a half or two years! :-)

Best,
Joanna

J Fortuna wrote:
You may recall that I got a paph malipoense in very low spike in
mid-September (so about 4 - 4.5 months ago). It's bud is still slowly
opening, it now looks like it is stretching out, and its pouch has visibly
grown inside, though it still has a ways to go, so someday it is going to
open.

Just thought I would post an update for anyone who may be wondering how long
it really takes a paph malipoense to spike. It is quite a long time. It's a
very active plant though, I can see progress every week, so I am still
enjoying it a lot, and looking forward to it blooming eventually.

Has anybody seen malipoense in its native habitat? It is curious that
any flowering plant would invest so much time in an inflorescence. The
longer it is developing the more time it has to be eaten, trampled, or
hit by meteorites or whatever. In cultivation, it seems to bloom on a
geologic time scale, rather than on the traditional yearly seasons... *grin*

I'd presume that in its habitat it takes far less time to mature and
bloom an inflorescence. But I don't know that this is true.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

LittlefrogFarm - Growing the plants Rob likes. )

Glad to see this post. I have a paph, don't know what kind (a gift),
that's been spiking and now blooming for months. At least I know this
is normal for some. Anyway, I'm enjoying watching the process!