True Blue Orchids
Blue is a rare floral color, but the vast orchid family doesn’t disappoint, so it is possible to find true blue orchids. Some feature brilliant tones, while others have subtle hues. There are also imposters. Blue Moth Orchids in the supermarket are actually white blooms which are injected with dye. Many orchid varieties with “blue” in their names are purple instead (that’s also true for other cultivated plant families where blue flowers are uncommon.) Vandas definitely take the blue orchid crown. There are two blue species, Vanda coerulea and Vanda coerulescens, shown in the first row of photos above. A few of the numerous blue hybrids are shown in the next row below.
There are other true blue orchid varieties. Two pictures in the row above show small, light blue flowers in the Cleisocentron genus, which are miniatures from Southeast Asia. I’ve never had the privilege to see Australia’s dazzling Blue Sun Orchids or Blue Caladenias, or South Africa’s Blue Disas. Without my own photos, I can’t pay them proper tribute here, but they certainly boast stunning shades. They’re not often grown outside of their native countries, and best suited for expert growers.
The orchids shown below have “blue,” “sapphire,” or “coerulea” in their names, but except for the first photo in the next row, I think they’re more purple. That first photo is a Dendrobium hybrid which includes the bluish-purple Dendrobium victoriae-reginae in its parentage. It illustrates how breeders strive for that elusive color of sea and sky. Their efforts guarantee more true blue orchids.
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