I am going to try to post a few pictures. Forgive me if I get it wrong.

The first picture compares the size difference between the two:
http://orchidexchange.com/images/web0399a.jpg
I don't know if all album are so much smaller than their normal counterparts, but mine are. The plants themselves are smaller with the leaves being more than half the size of the normal plant and more rounded, rather than long and strap-like.

The next two pictures are close-ups of the two flowers. I was surprised to see "empty" spots in the petal tissue of the album flower; there are raised areas of modified tissue where the plant would store the dark pigment if it could produce it. If you look closely at the petal tissue on the album you may see what I mean but in person it is obvious.
http://orchidexchange.com/images/web0399.jpg
http://orchidexchange.com/images/web0092.jpg

Hi Al, and welcome to the slipper forum!
I just moved your thread to the Paph. photo gallery, hope that's okay!

Wow, very interesting about the size difference and the pigment storage is fascinating. I don't grow/know much about bellatalum or any of the brachys yet, but I am enjoying seeing all of them, and their various differences here. Thanks so much for posting!

Hi, Al!

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting! Excellent pics.

nice pics, I like the smaller album better which is unusual for me

Nice photos AL. Love the normal form of bellatulum.

I saw a normal bellatulum and an album form next to one another for sale and the album form was also a lot smaller. I bought the normal form. To tell you the truth, I don't quite get the obsession with album forms. They are so expensive and all I see is a colourless washed out imitation of the real thing. Give me colour any day.

David

This is probably because of inferior breeding techniques. Give me some stock to work with, and i'll have the problem solved in 5 years.

I can't see it but I'd really like to know more about why the "holding pattern" for pigment. This really fascinates me and I'ld love to see some more thought/discussion on this! Thoughts on pigment? Usuality, for lack of a better word? Would love to hear more about this!

What do you mean by holding pattern.

I was surprised to see "empty" spots in the petal tissue of the album flower; there are raised areas of modified tissue where the plant would store the dark pigment if it could produce it.

What Al is referring to above. Is that normal for the alba varieties of Paphs.? I'd never heard of that before and found it really interesting and wondered about it. I don't have any alba plants so, I don't know much about them.

My assumptions regarding the empty spots I pointed out:

Pigments are produced for many reasons. Anthocyanin is produced by plants and is then moved along sugar pathways and sometimes stored until it may be broken down into simpler sugars for use by the plant. This accounts for the dark purple/red stripes and spots in many flowers. It seems reasonable to think that in some species these storage areas may have evolved to specifically hold the pigment when it is produced.

A plant may be album because of dozens of different mutations/mechanisms. Hypothetically, there might be a mutation that prevents pigments from being made after the pathways are laid down in the tissue. Other plants might have a mutation that blocks the pathways or diverts the pigment to maybe the leaf or stem tissue where it will be less obvious to the eye. Still another may make it and break it down into its simpler parts immediately so it never gets stored. Or any number of things...

I do not know if the empty spots are what I suggested they are , I just pointed them out because they were unexpected. I had expected to see an unblemished white petal tissue.

PS. In plants, albino means 'lacking anthocyanin pigment'. There may be other pigments present, green ones for sure and often yellow ones. This accounts for the odd experience most people get when they see a yellow flower and learn that it is the 'alba' form.

In the case of this album bellatulum, it is the result of a selfing of an album form. This probably accounts for its size and vigor issues.

That albinism can come from many different causes is one of the reasons I have learned to be wary of unbloomed alba seedlings. Two albas of the same species mated together might have come by their alba-ness through different mechanisms and breeding them together might, (and in my experience) often does mask both causes with normal genes from the opposing parent. First generation hybrids (using different *species* of alba parents) will be normal looking 90% or more of the time because: even if the cause of the alba mutation is identical in both plants, the location of the color suppressing genes in two separate species is almost certainly at different locations in their chromosomes and so there is little chance that they will match up.

I am not a botanist, geneticist or plant guru. I just play one on the internet....

Very interesting, thanks for the speculation.

I would imagine it is also more difficult to sell unblooomed alba seedlings from a cross of two first generation alba parents, based on what you mention. I know I personally don't tend to be terribly interested if it is unknown as to whether it will be normal or the alba form. Then again, I'm not *usually* interested in the alba forms of the multifloral species (which is what I mostly grow) For example haynaldianum comes to mind - I just find the normal variety more interesting. So maybe it is just me. I do like bellatalum alb though.

The normal pigmented bellatulum on the left just returned from the CPOS (Central Pennsylvania Orchid Society) show sporting an AM/AOS worth 81 points.

The normal pigmented bellatulum on the left just returned from the CPOS (Central Pennsylvania Orchid Society) show sporting an AM/AOS worth 81 points.

Wow, Congrats! :clap2:

Sweet!!! Guess I should've bought it when I had the chance huh...? Amazing that the one you didn't kill got an award! :joy: :Party: :clap:

A most heartfelt congratulations to you, Al! Well deserved! :joy: