My 2010 cypripediums

[Peter Maguire]

I wondered about that, but having killed C. japonicum before it had a chance to flower. I couldn't remember what it was meant to look like. The good news is that C. formosanum is much easier to grow, it's where I started my Cypripedium interest, which empties my wallet at regular intervals.

[luis]

Yes, i noticed that it is a formosanum. I like it any way  . I hope i can handle this fight of get them alive! I will tell if i've success.

[Joakim B]

Luis I know of a grower in Japan that uses double pots of clay with the outer pot in water and uses the evaporation from that to cool the plant. He has warmer than Portugal and he grows other types as well. Maybe the long growing time will be enough to build next years growth before they go dormant. If the plant is planted so that it does not get any sun this helps as well or at least no sun during summer.
I have not tried cyps in Portugal but would go for Ulla Silkens since I think that C reginae gets quite warm where it is growning. That one needs more winter cold and would probably need to be in fridge to get its winter rest. This winter was a cold winter so next winter might not be cold enough for your jap/form. If the summer is as mild as it was last year I think it will be ok. Often these plants are started to early and the winter comes back with frost and that gives problem. This is normally not a problem in Your part of Portugal.
We are many that follow Your tests with great interest.

Best of Luck
Joakim

[luis]

Thank you very much for all the recomendations . By the way more 5 cyps are comming up in my cyp bed... 

[TheOnionMan]

Checked my Cypripedium parviflorum v. pubescens, and they are ahead of normal, already showing growth buds.  The first photo, taken today, shows the remains of last year's stems on this particular clump (16 stems), and some green buds just starting to show.  It'll be another 5-6 weeks until I see flowers, they are always a glorious sight, so here are a couple pics from last year to show what's coming.

Name edited from Cypripedium calceolus pubescens to C. parviflorum v. pubescens per latest taxonomy in Flora of North America.

[luis]

Uau...  Congratulations they are fantástic. How many years this cyp have? I don't have this one but it's beautiful. Thank you very much.

[TheOnionMan]

I received my plants Cypripedium parviflorum v. pubescens as several clumps, each 5-6 eyes or pips.  They've been in the garden 4-5 years now, and expanding nicely.  Last year, the largest clump was 16  stems, but now that the tips are showing more, I count 32 pips, that equals 100% increase from last year! 

When is the best time to divide Cypripedium, in early spring when starting into growth, or later in summer when mostly dormant?

Name edited from Cypripedium calceolus pubescens to C. parviflorum v. pubescens per latest taxonomy in Flora of North America.

[Maren]

Hi, last time I looked at the Cypripedium forum, maintained by Michael Weinert, I recall him saying October was the best time to divide cypripediums. http://www.cypripedium.de/forum/messages/2845.html

[Anthony Darby]

Mark, shouldn't pubescens be a subspecies of Cypripedium parviforum and not the Eurasian species calceolus, or have they moved it back again?

[TheOnionMan]

Mark, shouldn't pubescens be a subspecies of Cypripedium parvilforum and not the Eurasian species calceolus, or have they moved it back again?

As first described the name calceolus represented this Cyp having circumpolar distribution in Europe, Asia, and North America, and most of the published floras presented it that way (such as in the Flora of Alaska by Hulten in 1968), and one still comes across plants labelled as such.  But strictly speaking, based on recent taxonomy, it is correctly C. parviflorum var. pubescens.  It is interesting looking at the first link I give below, is that many individual US States still maintain the threatened or endangered status under the original epithet.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CYPAP3

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101551

[Anthony Darby]

Mark, shouldn't pubescens be a subspecies of Cypripedium parvilforum and not the Eurasian species calceolus, or have they moved it back again?

As first described the name calceolus represented this Cyp having circumpolar distribution in Europe, Asia, and North America, and most of the published floras presented it that way (such as in the Flora of Alaska by Hulten in 1968), and one still comes across plants labelled as such.  But strictly speaking, based on recent taxonomy, it is correctly C. parviflorum ssp. pubescens.  It is interesting looking at the first link I give below, is that many individual US States still maintain the threatened or endangered status under the original epithet.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CYPAP3

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101551

I suppose it depends on what flower books you are using? I grow three clones of parviflorum and three of calceolus. C. p. pubescens is similar in flower size to calceolus but the flower colour and texture is so different.

[luis]

My cyps growing and flowering in the ground and in Portugal! 

[TheOnionMan]

My cyps growing and flowering in the ground and in Portugal! 

Luis, it appears that your Cyps are growing so fast that they're blurred in the photos   I don't know what all the species are for the shoots you show, but I see you have our native C. acaule, and in bud already!  They aren't even out of the ground here in the woods yet.  I've been unable to establish this species in the garden so far, but because it grows and flowers a couple minutes walk from the house, I no longer bother.  Instead I'm growing easier to establish species, but would like to try more.  Only yesterday I see shoots on C. reginae, it has increased from 4 stems to 9, yay!

Let us see all these when in flower

[luis]

Thank you for your reply. Yes i'm amazed because they are very good looking. The cyp acaule is the first time it blooms and is very well. But the cyp californicum don't pop up yet... we have now 26-30 C of maximum temp so i think it's natural the velocity they grow...

[Lukas H]

My first Cyps in flower are henryi and fasciolatum, formosanum is already gone.