Question
Hi Wayne,
I hope you don't think this is stupid but I bought an orchid - paphiopedilum and it was labelled just as that.  I didn't know that there were so many species.  Can you help me figure out this one?  I think I have it narrowed down to Paphiopedilum sukhakulii ,makuli or callosum....it's just that mine only has spots on the outer edge of the two lateral pedals....the thing that is tricky is that the septal is white and green only with the bottom lip purple/brown.

any idea? or should I post an image of it?

thanks.
Gina

Answer
Gina, I undertstand your desire to put a name on this plant.  Paph makuli is actually a complex hybrid: Maudiae x sukhakulii.  Maudiae is also a hybrid: callosum x lawrenceanum.  Therefore, Makuli contains a mixture of traits contained in both of the species you cited plus another species, lawrencianum.  As you might suspect, the combination of three species in one plant would cause that plant to be highly variable in color and appearance.

For purpose of judging, Paph callosum is bronze/mahogany in color whereas, on sukhakulii petals and dorsal sepal are more greenish.  On Paph callosum, the pouch is waxy in texture, much more so than on sukhakulii.  The petals on callusum are more downswept than on sukhakulii.  Petals on sukhakulii are mottled through their entirety, whereas mottling on callosum is restricted to the upper margins of the petals. The upper third of the dorsal sepal on callosum is white interrupted with burgandy veining whereas the dorsal sepal on sukhakulii is uniformly green with darker green verticle veining.

You certainly can E-mail a JPEG picture file if you wish and I can offer my opinion based upon that.  Since Allexperts doesn't have the picture capability you may E-mail a copy of the picture to [email protected].
note corrected my e-mail address