Phalaenopsis pulchra (Rchb. f.) H.R. Sweet 1968 Subgenus Polychilos Section Amboinenses Sweet 1968 Photo by © Lourens Grobler

Another View Photo courtesy of Joseph Dougherty

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Common Name The Beautiful flowered Phalaenopsis

Flower Size 2 to 2 1/2" [5-6 cm]

A Philippine, small sized, cool to warm growing, ascending, epiphytic species found on eastern mountain slopes at elevations of 100 to 650 meters with very short stems enveloped by imbricating leaf bases carrying suberect, arcuate, oblong-elliptic to narrowly obovate, acute or subobtuse leaves that blooms in the fall on a lateral, suberect to arcuate, 4 to 10" [10 to 25 cm] long, racemose or paniculate, laxly few flowered inflorescence, shorter that the leaves, with small, triangular, acute, short floral bracts and fragrant, fleshy, star-shaped, magenta-purple flowers. It does at times produce a much longer [to 2' {to 60 cm}] inflorescence that does not produce flowers, instead it produces apical keikis.

Synonyms *Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana var. pulchra Rchb. f. 1875; Phalaenopsis luedemmannia var purpurea Ames & Quis. 1932; Polychilos pulchra (Rchb. f.) Shim 1982

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchidiana Philipiniana Vol 1 Valmayor 1984; Orchids of the Philippines Cootes 2001; Flora Malesiana Orchids of the Philippines Vol I Agoo, Shuiteman and de Vogel 2003;

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