A rather large plant in my collection, Paphiopedilum St. Swithin (rothschildianum x philippinense), a classic cross registered back at the turn of the last century. The tag actually says Paphiopedilum philippinense, but this is abviously not the case… though most likely a St. Swithin. Regardless, it is an impressive multi-floral primary hybrid from the subgenus Polyantha and it sure does command respect when in blooms. The beautifully striped flowers measure nearly 10 cm tall with a petal wingspan of close to 20 cm across. P philippinense hail from from the Philippines and northern Borneo and is a hot growing species. P. rothschildianum is found in northern Birneo and grow warm to intermediate. This hybrid seems to be fairly easy going about temperature and I grow mine intermediate, though it did set spike after a late summer heatwave this year, so perhaps it had been yearning for a little bit of warmth? It has been blooming since early September now so I needed to capture it before it fades completely. The flowers are just starting to go now. I just love these long blooming plants, not uncommon but not the rule among Paphiopedilum. I grow it intermediate in a mixture of medium bark with a slight dash of crushed oyster shells under medium bright light with a slightly drier rest period in the winter. A strong grower for me. I love it!

Paphiopedilum philippinense [Rchb.f]Stein 1892.
Paphiopedilum rothschildianum (Rchb. f.) Pfitzer 1895