Lady (12 Apr 11)
Paph. philippinense “MT”
The Doi Tung Development Project won a best-of-category award and received another 3 honorable mentions from The Royal Horticultural Society of Thailand in the 2nd national competition of Lady’s Slipper orchids arranged by the Paphiopedilum Club of Thailand. The competition was held on March 19, 2011 at the Impact Challenger Exhibition Hall in Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi Province. The awards were for:
Best in the category of orchids with multiple blooms: Paph. philippinense “MT” which is one of DoiTung’s original varieties. It has a specially large flower size, with long side petals and deep colour.
Honorable mention: Paph. Saint Swithin ''Sangwan 1'', a hybrid of Paph. philippinense “4” and Paph. rothschildianum “0035” that has been cultivated by the Doi Tung Development Project for over 10 years. It has large and beautiful clusters.
Honorable mention: Paph. delenatii ''Sangwan 1'', a pure variety with large soft pink flowers. Each branch can have up to 3 flowers.
Honorable mention: Paph. hirsutissimum ''Sangwan 6'', a pure variety with large flowers that have wide bright purple side petals pointing horizontal to the ground and a big dorsal. This variety has many flowers blooming simultaneously.
These awards are result of years of research and development under the royal initiative of HRH Princess Srinagarindra, the late Princess Mother of Thailand. She had learnt in her work at Doi Tung that the limestone cliffs in the area were a natural habitat for lady’s slipper orchids. Since 1993, the Project has collected and bred native species to produce improved varieties, to be re-planted in their natural habitats in order to preserve these beautiful plants and assure they remain with Doi Tung forever.
