This is the best time! The bud on the Paphiopedilum micranthum is keeping a secret, and about to challenge the species own name: botanical nomenclature, in Latin, for 'small flower'. We'll see about that in a day or two when the flower reveals its true colors. The flower is opening in the greenhouse, and is even now thinking about how it will unfold, how the petals be carried, and how much 'blush' there will be on the pouch (actually a specially modified petal, which is definitive for almost all of Orchidaceae). In the meantime, we will make sure the bud does not receive direct sunlight, that the surrounding temperatures stay relatively cool and the humidity high, that the plant does not become extremely dry, and wait with high hopes for a beautiful flower to emerge from the plump bud.
