Slipper Orchid Bud ( Paphiopedilum maudiae )

Another orchid shot I am afraid, mainly because I have had a lazy day doing not very much and going nowhere.

I have used the Phal again as a record because I took the a shot when the bud was first noticeable.  It is here.  In this shot the flower colours are starting to show and the "slipper" is beginning to peep out of the bottom of the bud.  Size comparison with the mini Phalaenopsis from the other day.  This one is 47cm (18.5") with the bud 5cm (2").  It is a semi terrestrial orchid unlike the common Phalaenopsis which is epiphytic i.e. it grow on other plants but not as a parasite.  Epiphytes often grow in the detritus caught in the crotch of tree branches.