Identification of an orchid

Someone gave me this orchid a little while ago. Can anyone tell me what kind it is and what type of care to give it.
Thanks,

Mike

I do not grow paphs much, but....

It looks like a paphilopedilum (paph) - a mottled leaf kind that might be a Maudiae type. This means that it will have one flower per spike, and wants medium to medium low light. Generally considered easy houseplants.

A couple of concerns. It looks like you might have some rust problems, especially on the taller growth. (Perhaps someone else can chime in with an opinion.) I would cut off the brown parts and spray with a fungicide - something that can be used on roses is usually ok for orchids. Take the usual precautions - sterilize whatever you use to cut this plant etc.

Second thought - the sphagnum moss in yours looks like it might be old and need replacement. I would repot it soon, and take the opportunity to check out the roots. Often paphs are grown in a fine bark mix, or coconut husk chips, or a bark-peat mix, so you could consider any of those options as well.

I don´t know much about Paphs, I had one for a while but it died like everything I tried to grow in my bedroom... but If I remember correctly, Paphs are stemless, or have very short and barely noticeable stems. Unlike the plant on the picture, specially the taller one, with a clearly cylindrical stem.

The spotted leaves are what caught my attention, though... I don´t know what they could be, but as an uncommon feature for an orchid, it might narrow down the search for the name even without the flowers on.

You're right that paphs are "stem less". The lower leaves get buried under fallen leaves etc. and die off. The little nubs in the leaf axils on the taller growth are probably root nubs that aborted because there is no medium for them to grow into. Paph growers repot their plants frequently to ensure that new growths and new roots are sufficiently low in the pot.

I second what Keyring said.

This is what my paphs look like when I fail to repot after they bloom and then forget to put them back with my other orchids. Paphs only produce one flower per "stem" and the next flower will come from the new pups that spring up around the main plant. This poor plant looks like the victim of irregular watering and poor light, but it's hard to say for sure.

They are tough plants, though, and the front pup looks very healthy. I would repot to remove the green stuff on the potting medium and any rot or dead roots underneath, and then put in an area with "strong" light in the house (comparitively low light for orchids) but no direct sunlight.

So what do you do with the old parent part of the plant? Mine has grown a 'pup' too and now that you say that the parent part won't bloom again, do I cut it out?

p.s. My lady's slipper actually had 2 flowers on one 'stem'? last year. :)

I believe the general recommendation is to have at least 3 growths to every division. In other words, when your paph becomes 6 growths or more, you could divide it. (Consider them to be growths, not pups.)

huh, well ya learn something every day! Thanks keyring :)

I think these also need high humidity. Placing a tray filled with pebbles and water underneath will certainly help if your plant isn't in a green house or outside.