Phal Species
In a world full of hybrid Moth Orchids, it’s always a pleasant surprise to find a species. Typically seen with dark red spots and stripes, this species, Phalaenopsis mannii, also occurs with yellow flowers. This variation is known as Phalaenopsis mannii var. aurea. Its golden color, strange flower lip, and orange fragrance make it as interesting as any human-made hybrid.
Like other Phals, this species is native to Southeast Asia. It grows in a wide range stretching from the eastern Indian Himalayas through Nepal, Bhutan, southern China, Myanmar (Burma,) and Vietnam. There are several natural color varieties like those shown on this page of Phals.net. Look closely to see the subtle white stripes on the lower sepals of these yellow blooms.
These elegant, star-shaped flowers can last 3 months. As a species whose leaves like to hang down, it grows best when mounted. The roots can grow as long as 12 feet (4 meters). I bought this plant 3 years ago at a local orchid show, and it’s happy mounted on treefern in high humidity. The golden blossoms appear in spring among its long, straggly roots.
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June 11th, 2013 at 6:33 am
Beautiful flowers!
Many thanks a whole lot for sharing!
June 15th, 2013 at 2:18 pm
Very good pictures. I hope to see more posts soon!
June 23rd, 2013 at 12:26 pm
What a beautiful flower! I had to look very closely to see the white stripes. It’s not very easy to see.
June 27th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Great gold blooms! I love your blog, love your photos!
July 8th, 2013 at 10:41 pm
Very cute. It has such a pretty gold color, not a shade I see very often. Flowers lasting 3 months! I think I want this one 🙂
July 11th, 2013 at 12:59 pm
Very interesting flower lips! Excellent article!