Phalaenopsis Family Types, Who am I ?

[createyourdream]

Just starting an Orchid collection in the past year, so I am very new at learning the Orchid families and groups. I was given this Phalaenopsis last fall and it was in bad shape. Most all the roots had rotted and it had to start over.

It has made some headway this year and although it has not yet bloomed, at least the leaves are growing and they have gotten very long. This one has thick, pointed, and relatively long narrow leaf growth, The bottom Leaf is a full 10 inches long already.

Anyone out there ever seen a Phalaenopsis with this long of leaves, and this pointy of leaves? If so, what is this? Is it part of a certain "group" of Phalaenopsis? It's very different than my other ones.

Thanks For Your Help,
Diana

[Roy]

There are a number of Phals that vary in leaf length and shape, it depends on the parentage. The leaves on your plant are still young, they could get a lot longer as the plant grows, again not knowing the name we can't check the parents or know how it will grow by experiance.

[ronaldhanko]

They can vary considerably in leaf shape and color due to parentage and culture, especially if they are hybrids. Generally, however, leaf shape has little bearing on how you grow them - all Phals should be grown under similar conditions with minor differences for a few species, but this is almost certainly a hybrid.

[createyourdream]

Thank you for your input Ronald & Roy.

I googled Phalaenopsis this morning and have been looking at page after page of pictures, hoping for some pictures of leaves, as opposed to flowers. Most pictures don't show the leaves, just the flowers.

I did see some long skinny pointed leaves though. This one I have the leaves are growing straight horizontal, not at all arched up and they are quite thick and stiff.

I saw one called Phalaenopsis speciosa that seemed to show some resemblance. I know I will have to wait for a bloom before it could be even remotely ID'd. I'm just impaitient and it could be years before I see this one bloom??

It just got me wondering because my other Phalaenopsis have the flexible arching blunt tipped wide spoon shaped leaves, and I thought maybe in the orchid world there might be a leaf type guide or database of photos that I could check it agaist.

[camille1585]

There really aren't leaf types to categorize phals. Like mentioned above it depends on the parentage of the plant, and I will add that it also depends on culture. Plants grown in high light tend to have narrower leaves than if they're grown in low light, and the size and shape can vary based on temperature or nutrition. So leaf phenotype is extremely variable.

If you're trying to ID Phals based on leaf size/shape, that's nearly impossible. Certain characteristics, such as mottling, can point towards certain species in its genetic background. It's already difficult enough to ID plants based on blooms!

I don't know where you found the info, but there are no 'groups' of Phals, like you would have the unifoliate and bifoliate groups of Cattleya for instance.

[createyourdream]

Thanks Camille, that's pretty much the conclusion I was coming to. The fact that I won't be able to ID it until it blooms.

I typed in phalaenopsis hybrid, and a page came up with a whole index of species. Each one you could click on and there was 20 or 30 pictures that different people had submitted. That's where I was looking at leaves.

[ronaldhanko]

Unless it's clearly a species you probably won't be able to ID it either when it blooms - there are thousands of hybrids, many of which are indistinguishable and which have so much variation even within the cross, that if a tag is lost you just have to be satisfied with the fact that you have a plant with beautiful flowers.

[Izzie]

It's like asking what "hybrid" or species your stray cat is. Best answer you're going to get is "100% cutie patootie."

[createyourdream]

Originally Posted by Izzie

It's like asking what "hybrid" or species your stray cat is. Best answer you're going to get is "100% cutie patootie."

OK, Izzie, I'll go with that. I think I'll get a name tag stuck in there and write on it "Cutie Patootie"

Then everyone that comes over is going to want one of those

[Ray]

Some of the plants of the former genus doritis - now considered to be phalaenopsis - have stiff, narrow, pointy leaves, but has been said, there is so much variation in hybrids - even within a single hybrid - that it really doesn't have a lot of meaning.