Posted by Just Add Ice Orchids... It's Just That Simple. on Sun, Nov 22, 2009
At Just Add Ice Orchids we specialize in Phalaenopsis orchids. There are almost 60 different phalaenopsis species, more if you include different varieties within each species. But even if you don't, phalaenopsis species come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Known as "phals" or Moth Orchids, not many of them look like moths in flight, as the Latin name implies.
For example, though the Moon Orchid, phalaenopsis amabilis, and P. aphrodite both have large white petals, and could resemble a big white moth. But phal. amboinensis is more like a tiger-striped flower in yellow and brown, and phal. appendiculata is delicately colored with purple. And that's just the variety in the ones that begin with the letter "a"!
Overall, the color range of this genus includes white, pink, lavender and yellow in both solid colors and mixes of stripes and spots. Many new bold color patterns are beginning to show up in the over 50 man-made hybrids too.
For an idea of the wide variety of colors and shapes, check out this Phalaenopsis A-Z photo chart. You'll see that some have thin petals in groups of five that end up looking like stick figures, while others have unusual and surprising shapes.
Moth orchids are monopodial plants, which means they're "one footed" and grow as a single stem with each new growth originating from the apex (top) of the plant. Their growth is characterized by the unlimited growth in length of the stem, combined with the entire absence of pseudobulbs. Leaves are distichous, meaning they alternate in two opposite ranks, and are flat and keeled on back side.
Phals, as they are more commonly called, range from India, through Southeast Asia, north to the Philippines, and South to Northern Australia. The species are epiphytic, which means they growing on other plants, or lithophytic, growing on rocks, and inhabit areas from sea level to 1,000 feet.
Posted by Just Add Ice Orchids... It's Just That Simple. on Tue, Jun 16, 2009
As an orchid grower, it is helpful to carry knowledge about orchids so here are a few tips on terms to make you sound orchid savvy.
- Column – the tiny, rounded, column-like extension between the two largest petals. This little guy is the central reproductive organ of the orchid flower
- Inflorescence – the flowering part of a plant
- Keiki – a small plant growing from a node on the flower stem
- Lip – the part of the flower that is almost completely divided from the rest of the flower, however, it is connected by the column. The lip is specialized to aid in pollination
- Medium – the material added to an orchid’s container, which can range from varieties such as soil to bark
- Node – A distinct joint or notch on the inflorescence from which a secondary flower stem can emerge from after the primary inflorescence has finished blooming
- Sepal – the outer segments on an orchid flower. Similar to petals, sepals are the three smaller segments of the flower that create a triangular shape
- Spike – a flower stalk
- Throat – the inner portion of a tubular orchid lip, often quite colorful
- Yellowing – term used when a leaf is literally yellowing, which indicates an issue with the orchid
Pop quiz! What’s a keiki? If you guessed right without peeking, then your brain can store information like a pseudobulb stores water!