Back to Basics: Phalaenopsis

You're headed to the grocery store to fetch some things. Right as you step inside, there they are. Towering spikes full of vibrant, cascading flowers. They're in colors of all sorts: yellow, pink, purple, white, and even electric blue. Congratulations! You've spotted the infamous Phalaenopsis orchid. But do not get too excited yet-- there is a reason I decided to make my first blog post on this particular genus. The Phalaenopsis, or Moth orchid (as it is better known), is one of the largest-selling orchids in the trade. As of 2000, all wholesale orchids sales amassed a whopping $100,000,000. Strangely enough, this number only seems to be increasing. With exceptions such as Vanilla, orchids are strictly ornamental crops. This is vividly apparent when those stark-blue flowers catch your eye in the store. You may have found yourself saying "nature is amazing" and you'd be right; nature IS amazing and there are countless examples of brilliant blue flowers that do occur naturally. However, this particular hybrid of phalaenopsis is not one of those. This may be surprising to some of you, but this is the perfect example of a marketing ploy. Blue dye is quite literally injected into the orchid's peduncle and, by way of sap flow, carried to the flowers. This is how they achieve a 'natural' look and feel to the flowers. The veins which already exist within each flower are merely made more visible. When the flowers eventually fall, the next set of flowers that orchid produces will be white (or in some cases, magenta, if the flowers were a very dark blueish purple originally).

← a good example of a 'blue' phalaenopsis orchid

While phalaenopsis are beautiful, they are not the only orchid genus that exists. The family Orchidaceae is the second largest flowering plant family on earth! Hence my unbounded love for these weird and wonderful plants. So do not be satisfied when you see the same five colors of moth orchid in the front of the store, because there is so much more behind the name Phalaenopsis alone.

Now that we have the introduction down, let's take a look at some of those weird and wonderful Phalaenopsis species;

1.) Coming in at number one is my absolute favorite Phalaenopsis species; Phalaenopsis bellina. 

Phalaenopsis bellina is an epiphytic, Southeast Asian orchid that can be found growing up in the tree canopies where the humidity and temperature are, on average, high. Their roots are built specially for clinging to bark, as their roots are covered by an epidermal layer of velamen. This gives certain orchid roots their silvery appearance. 

Putting aside their beautiful pink coloration, Bellina's are famous for their fragrance, a quality that is uncommon among Phalaenopsis (but not among many other orchid groups; There are orchids that smell of cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate just to name a few!). Bellina specifically contains linalool and geraniol, two very chemically similar compounds that are frequently used in perfumes. All this being said, the odor is pleasant. I have only had the opportunity to smell a bellina flower once before and I hardly remember it, but I believe it was citrusy and slightly sweet. Bellina's sister species, P. violacea (pictured), is known to have a sharper, spicy scent. The coloration also differs with violacea, as the gradient of the petals fades from a light cream color to a cool violet, rather than the fiery pink of the bellina. 

One last thing to note about this species is that their flowers are few in number. With the hybrids sold today, single spikes can hold upwards of 20 flowers, whereas the bellina is known to have only 1-3 flowers at a time. However, they commonly rebloom from the same flower spike for years. 

an extreme example of long, abundant flower spikes shown in the hybrid P. 'sogo yukidian' →

2.) Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi

P. cornu-cervi is definitely on the wilder side when it comes to appearances. Their glossy petals and oddly-shaped peduncle make this species one of my favorites. Like the aforementioned bellina, P. cornu-cervi can rebloom from the same spike for years. However, they do not have as strong a fragrance. They are also originally from Southeast Asia, their blooms are few in numbers, and they are epiphytic. Unlike the bellina, they have smaller flowers and a particularly odd peduncle. Their flower spike looks as if it was flattened, and, because they rebloom for years, the shape can become very angular.

↑ P. cornu-cervi, variety 'alba' ↑

There are also several varieties of P. cornu-cervi that exist. Colors tend to be on the warmer side with yellows, oranges, and reds. My favorites are the pure red and red-striped varieties. Their glossy petals allow the red to deepen and shine through, almost like sealing a painting in Damar-Varnish (oh, the analogies of a former art-student). 

3.) Phalaenopsis tetraspis

P. tetraspis has a reputation among orchid-lovers as being one of the harder species to grow, requiring high heat and humidity levels. Not much is known about this species, unfortunately, and it was rather difficult for me to find out much about this species' origins or traits. What I do know about this orchid- and the reason it is so popular among growers- is its ability to produce unique blooms every time. Now I'm well aware that every bloom on an orchid is technically unique, but some patterns and shapes can be hard to distinguish. This species produces very visibly different petals. Some petals are pure white, some are pure magenta, some have spots, some have lines, some have large blotches. This orchid reminds me of painting: it is unpredictable but lovely. ♡

Of course, there are many more Phalaenopsis species I'd like to mention but I will save them for another time. Something I suggest if you ever want to find a cool Phalaenopsis species you've never heard of; just search 'Phalaenopsis species' on google! I usually image search and go from there but there are a ton of helpful lists that orchid-lovers have compiled to get you started. There are so many orchids out there that it can be overwhelming at times, and even daunting, to learn about them. But fear not, we are on this journey together. For while I have loved and studied orchids for around 5 years now, I still don't know the half of it. Comment below your favorite phalaenopsis species and/or any constructive insights.

Sources:

Griesbach, R.J. 2002. Development of Phalaenopsis Orchids for the Mass-Market. p. 458–465. In: J. Janick and A. Whipkey (eds.), Trends in new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA.

Anon., n.d. Phal. bellina. 

http://www.ranwild.org/Phalaenopsis/module/species/bellina/Especieshead.html

Anon. n.d., Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi. Olympic Orchids. 

https://olympicorchids.com/?product=phalaenopsis-cornu-cervi

Anon. n.d., Phalaenopsis tetraspis. OrchidBoard.
http://www.orchidboard.com/community/species/94632-phalaenopsis-tetraspis.html