At yesterday's judging, we were introduced, as part of our continuing education, to a new group of Phalaenopsis Orchids that are bursting on to the "Orchid Scene".
They are being referred to as Novelty Phalaenopsis!
Here are three examples
Okay, so you may be asking yourself, exactly what is Bill talking about? Remember how I have often said that judging standards with regard to Orchids are always changing, evolving? Well we were introduced yesterday to Novelty Phalaenopsis. What are they? How do we properly evaluate them? How do we judge them?
Well let me first attempt to define them for all of you. Well they are not Standard Phalaenopsis like the big leaved, branched inflorescence beauties that we are familiar with. Names like Phal. Baldans Kaleidoscope or Phal. Taisuco. Those plants have large leaves, often reaching 12-15" in length, 4-5" in width, tall often branches inflorescences carrying 2 dozen 4" flowers. Novelties are not like those "standards" at all!!
And Novelty Phalaenopsis are NOT Mini Phalaenopsis. Such classics as Phal. Mini Mark or Phal. Sogo Vixen. Those hybrids have stacked leaves arising from miniature or very small plants. Their inflorescences are often branched and the flowers are 1" - 1 1/2" wide. I am not talking about those. They just seem like close cousins to the big, standard Phalaenopsis.
Novelty Phalaenopsis are very different! Well Bill, just how different are they? Please explain.
Well these Novelty Phalaenopsis bloom later in the year at a time when the Orchid World is pretty darn slow without too much going on! Novelty Phalaenopsis typically bloom from May through September. Ah, now that's different. They help to fill those summer doldrums kind of.
The flowers of Novelties are extremely colorful ranging from 2 to 2 1/3" wide, often rounded and fuller. But according to parentage, a great many can be somewhat starry in shape.
They bloom and rebloom from the same inflorescences often over several years. They typically possess only 1-3 flowers but with selected parents, we are now seeing 3-6 flowers more and more!
The leaves are stacked one on top of another, often are very glossy reminiscent of Phal. violacea or Phal. bellina.
AND NOW FOR THE BEST QUALITY PERHAPS!!!!!! 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
They are very fragrant. Every body likes fragrant orchids!!!
Of those three flowers that I posted above, only the bottom one is mine and the name is not important at the moment but it smells just like Fruit Loops. Silly rabbit, Trix are for Kids!!! I have been trying to define what I am smelling every time I get near that flower and a fellow judge said yesterday, they smell like fruit loops!! And that's it! That is just what they smell like. It could be further described as very "floral", a very sweet kind of intoxicating fragrance and quite powerful.
As a final note, I have about 8-9 of these hybrids just growing like gangbusters under my lights and I look forward to sharing additional images as we move this thread along.
That you so much for your kind attention and continued support!