Phalaenopsis bellina Christenson 1995 SUBGENUS Polychilos SECTION Amboinenses Sweet 1968 Photo courtesy of Allen Black.

Common Name The Beautiful Phalaenopsis

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

This species is a small sized, hot growing, pendant growing epiphyte from Malaysia and Borneo in shady, humid, lowland and swampy riverine forests low down on trees often near or on branches overhanging stream banks at elevations below 200 meters with an erect to ascending, short stem completely enveloped by persistant leaf-bearing sheaths and carrying pendulous, broad, rounded, light green leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on a suberect or arcuate, 2 3/4" [7 cm] long, racemose or paniculate, few flowered inflorescence with a flattened, fractiflex rachis and small ovate bracts and has only 2 to 3, highly fragrant flowers open at a time. The inflorescence on older plants can rebloom year after year so do not cut off green viable inflorescence.

Synonyms Phalaenopsis bellina f. bowringiana (Rchb.f.) Christenson 1995; Phalaenopsis bellina f. murtoniana (Rchb.f.) Christenson 1995; Phalaenopsis bellina f. punctata (Rchb.f.) Christenson 1995; Phalaenopsis violacea var bellina Rchb.f 1884; Phalaenopsis violacea var chloracea Rchb.f 1884; Phalaenopsis violacea Borneo Variety; Phalaenopsis violacea var. bowringiana Rchb.f. 1884; Phalaenopsis violacea var. murtoniana Rchb.f. 1878; Phalaenopsis violacea var. punctata Rchb.f. 1884

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 4 1985 photo as P violacea; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 8 1985 photo as Phal violacea; Orchids of Borneo Chan, Shim, Lamb & Wood 1994 as P violacea; A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994 as P vilolacea; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 5 1998 as P violacea; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 no 5 1999 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 9 2001 photo; Phalaenopsis, A Monograph EA Christenson 2001; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 2 2004 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 8 2004 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 7 2005 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 1 2006 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 2 2006 photo;

Phalaenopsis bellina ( Rchb.f. ) Christenson f. alba Christenson 2001 Photo courtesy of Bill Bergstrom and Bergstrom Orchids

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 9 2001 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 2 2004 photo

Phalaenopsis bellina Green Form Photo courtesy of Nik Fahmi and his Vortex Orchid Page

A green Color Form Of the previous species.

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