Jim, that plant has arabicum in its' ancestry, as in from Arabia. We are accustomed to obseums, which come from central Africa, just below the Sahara desert. Totally different kind of growth. Arabicums don't make the big gnarly fat roots that obseums do. Arabicums have a squat sort of base, limbs from the base, and they have lots of smallish feeder roots. The roots of obseums are many and fat, and they have little feeder roots. They like to grow up using one main stem, perhaps with little stems around the bottom that don't much grow. Obseums branch more than arabicums. Now, are you thoroughly confused?
How can I find you on facebook, that you don't use much? Lots of cool stuff I could send you there! (anyone else?)
Obseum, caudex nearly indistinguishable from roots. All the different colors and multiple petals.
arabicum, MUCH fatter caudex, wiith rooties at the bottom. Only single, pink flowers. (click the picture for a better view)
