Doritaenopsis

[Moggitte]

I am a newbie to orchids. I joined this site to learn more about growing a forest of beautiful blossoms. My name is Dorita. Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered the Doritaenopsis! I must have one or six! Can anyone tell me about these lovely creatures? Where did their name come from?

[MrHappyRotter]

Unfortunately, I've got some bad news for you, but you can choose to ignore it if you want.

Doritaenopsis was the intergeneric hybrid involving the genera Doritis and Phalaenopsis. I use the word "was" because a number of years ago, the species that were formerly classified as Doritis were moved to Phalaenopsis. So, all those formerly Doritis species and intergeneric Doritaenopsis hybrids are now simply Phalaenopsis.

As for the meaning of the name Doritis, according to the AOS:

The name Doritis is derived either from the Greek dory, spear – an allusion to the lip shape or from Doritis, a name given to the goddess Aphrodite.

And to reiterate the meaning of the name Doritaenopsis, it indicates that the cross is an intergeneric hybrid involving Doritis x Phalaenopsis.

The reason you might have a plant labelled Doritaenopsis may be because the plant was acquired before the taxonomic change, but also hybridizers are often slow and reluctant to update their labels and records. Plus, orchid taxonomy changes so frequently that it's very hard to keep up, so some folks just say "screw it" I'm sticking with what was on the label when I got it.

Care for pretty much all Doritaenopsis hybrids is going to be generally the same as for Phalaenopsis hybrids: shady, warm, and even moisture.

[Moggitte]

So much for having a beautiful flower named after me! It's still a fun story, and a lovely blossom that I will add to my collection.

Another meaning for the name "Dorita" that I was told in college is that it means "little golden one," based on the word "d'ore" for gold, and "-ita" for little. I felt very proud of that until the Brazilian students that told me about that meaning started singing a song about "Dorita," all the while laughing with a wink-wink-nudge-nudge. I think Dorita was not a nice girl.