Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica

One of my favorite Phalaenopsis is our magnificent hieroglyphica 'Orchidglade.' It's a stunner.

It's flowers are larger, the colors richer and the blooming season much longer -six months!- than our other hieroglyphicas, which flower September through November. 'Orchidglade' is a vigorous grower and quickly makes a stunning specimen-sized plant.

Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica is endemic to Luzon, Polillo, Palawan and Mindanao in the Philippines. When our plant isn't on display we grow it in our warm greenhouse. It likes the classic Phal conditions -warmth (70º-85º), shade (80%), year round moisture and high humidity (80-90%). The inflorescences are pendant, so we grow our plants in baskets.

But it's those glpyph-like markings on the petals and sepals that make the flowers so mesmerizing. And the pink Velcro lip. What a terrific plant this is! You can see it flowering now in the Orchid Display House.

Openings: Phalaenopsis celebensis

Phalaenopsis celebensis in the Fuqua Orchid Center

The silver mottled leaf of Phalaenopsis celebensis 

One of the sweetest Phalaenopsis species in our collection is this beauty: Phalaenopsis celebensis from the Celebes Islands (Sulawesi). Modest in size without actually being a miniature, Phalaenopsis celebensis has lovely silver mottled leaves that are pendant--droopy, actually, like hound ears.

The pristine white flowers, carried on a very long arching spike, are about one tenth the size of a hybrid Phal, but Phalaenopsis celebensis scores major points in my book for its charm. It may be my favorite Phalaenopsis species. Sarah pollinated our two plants yesterday, so we should be filling the nursery with seedlings before long.

A Miniature Moth Orchid

Phalaenopsis appendiculata at the Fuqua Orchid Center

Did you know that there are at least a dozen Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid) species that are miniatures? Tiny Phalaenopsis appendiculata is a twig epiphyte--it grows on the skinny branches of rainforest trees in Malaysia, where it is endemic.

Though it appears huge in the photo, our Phalaenopsis appendiculata is actually about 2" x 2". I have watched with increasing admiration as it has produced flowers in succession, month after month. But what I find totally charming are those undulating leaf margins.

High humidity and hot temperatures are the key to growing Phalaenopsis appendiculata. Although we grow ours slightly drier and cooler, Dr. Tsuneo Ikedo, on his fantastic Phalaenopsis Species website, recommends 85% relative humidity; 73º at night and 89.6º as the daytime high temperature. That's lowland tropical.

Where do I cut my Phalaenopsis after it blooms?

Where do I cut my Phalaenopsis spike? is on the short list of frequently asked questions at the Fuqua Orchid Center.

Yes, it's sad to say goodbye to your Moth Orchid spike. A year is a long time to wait for more flowers. But you don't have to wait an entire year. If you remove the spike in the right location you can produce a second flush of flowers from the same spike in a few months. It's easy!

1. Choose a clean sharp cutting tool. See my earlier post on cutting tools for orchids if you're wondering what tool to use.

2. Take a close look at your Phal spike. You will see a series of beige bands (called bracts) that encircle the spike at approximately 5" intervals. In the photo below one bract is visible just above the green twist tie. See where the beige bract widens and becomes shield-shaped? Beneath that protective bract is an inactive bud. 

By cutting the spike just above that bud you remove the inhibitory hormones that are holding the bud's growth in check. The cells inside the bud then differentiate into a flower spike. In a few weeks you will see the new spike begin to elongate.

3. Make the cut. Holding the spike securely with one hand, make your cut about one quarter inch above the beige bract.

4. What  now? Hang onto your bamboo stake as you will need it to stake the elongating spike once it is about eight inches tall.

Sometimes the bud produces a small plantlet, or keiki, rather than a new flower spike. After the young plantlet has produced a couple of roots about three inches in length before you can remove it from the old spike and pot it up.

Two additional things to think about:

• If your plant is weak or in need of repotting, it's best to repot and allow your plant to rest and recuperate this summer without the additional strain of producing a second spike. 
• Don't get too excited thinking that all of your orchids will produce a second flush of flowers in this way. Not true! Only a few--some Epidendrums and Oncidiums--do this.

Wondering where to cut your Oncidium spike? You can find out here.
Click here to find out where to cut your Dendrobium spike.
To find out where to cut your Cattleya spike, click here.

The Phal Blast

Sarah Carter creating the Orchid Daze Phal Blast last January

Many of the walls within the Orchid Center are covered with cedar trellis. The trellis was designed and built by one of my all-time favorite volunteers, a talented Brazilian man named Ricardo, as yet another venue for displaying orchids.

During Orchid Daze our usual treatment of the trellis is to cover every square foot in Phalaenopsis orchids in order to create our Phal Blast. The Phal Blast has become an enormously popular backdrop for family photos.

For their part, the Phals don't particularly like being stacked vertically, one above the other. This sort of treatment can lead to crown rot in the plants in the lowermost rows that receive excessive run off when we water the plants above. Vertical stacking is not something we would ever do to our collection Phalaenopsis. The hybrids will tolerate it for ten weeks, though we have probably shortened their lives somewhat. Many display techniques can be harmful to orchids, the epiphytes in particular. In short: don't try this at home!

This weekend is your last chance to see Orchid Daze 2012, Hanging Gardens. Don't miss it!

The Secret Language of Moth Orchids

Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica

Even if it weren't ridiculously floriferous I would still love Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica. Who can resist the idea of an ancient language inscribed on orchid petals?
You can see this beautiful Philippine orchid in flower now in the Orchid Display House.

The mysterious Phaistos Disc with Cretan hieroglyphs

And if you want to find out what the word Phalaenopsis, or any other word, looks like in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, visit Mark Millmore's site, Discovering Ancient Egypt to try out his very cool hieroglyphic typewriter.