Phal sapphire’s galah

[Chicago]

After the looooooongest wait ever, the buds are finally starting to open! But i have some questions:

1. My flower was not fragrant today (first day of bloom), is that unusual for Sapphire’s Galah?
2. Will this open one flower at a time like Phal violacea, or will it produce a full spray like a mainstream Phal?

Thanks!!

[Mountaineer370]

I just got my Phal. Sapphire's Galah last spring, so I don't know a lot about their habits, but I'll share my experience. Mine had a tiny spike when it arrived, but that one never developed. It then developed another successful spike which produced three buds that opened over the course of a few weeks until all three were open at once. Now, there is only one flower left, and it looks to be at the end of its life, but the spike appears to be developing an offshoot with another couple of possible buds.

Each flower lasted about three to four weeks. Mine never did seem to have any fragrance that I could detect. Still, it is a nice little Phal.

[signin1234]

If your plant is not a clone and is a seed grown plant, there will be some variation in terms of the questions you're asking, so the answer is, it depends and it depends. You'll need to be patient and see what you get.

Most of these should be fragrant to some degree. It may take a few days after opening before the full fragrance kicks in. Flowers will likely only be fragrant for a handful of hours from early to mid morning until afternoon to early evening. Strength will vary from faint to strong. In winter, there may not be as much fragrance due to the short days and typically cooler temperatures given your location.

Typical clones will be sequential, if you have one that produces a full spike of multifloral flowers then you've got something unique. Typically you'll see 3 - 5 flowers open on a spike at any given time, could be more, could be less, depending on season, maturity, and general health of the plant.

[aliceinwl]

I don’t have this particular Phalaenopsis but I have number of Phalaenopsis that only emit fragrance in the morning under warm bright conditions. There will also be an increase in fragrance after watering.

After the flowers have been open a couple days, you can try walking over to a sunny window mid morning and stand there with your plant for a bit and see if it starts to smell. Obviously, it won’t tolerate that level of sun long term, but sometimes you can find a brighter warmer spot if that does the trick in terms of scent release.

I’ve been considering getting one of these, so I’d be curious to know if it does start smelling for you and under what conditions. So far my best scented Phal is Sogo Pony ‘Montclair’. Of my scented Phals this is the only one that I can smell from feet away under household conditions: bright indirect light, temperatures in the low 70s (21 degrees Celsius). Once someone accidentally jacked the heater way up in our office and the hot air start blowing on my Phalaenopsis and it was like a floral explosion: all of my mildly scented Phalaenopsis started filling the room with fragrance, even some that I thought were unscented smelled. Scent seems to be highly dependent on environmental conditions.

[Chicago]

Very good thoughts from everyone. Thank you so much! I will be out of town this week but when I get home, hopefully, I can give an update regarding smell. I always thought if the name had a “name in Quotes” such as “sapphire’s galah” that it would be a clone rather than a seed grown plant. Is that not always true?

[signin1234]

Originally Posted by Chicago

Very good thoughts from everyone. Thank you so much! I will be out of town this week but when I get home, hopefully, I can give an update regarding smell. I always thought if the name had a “name in Quotes” such as “sapphire’s galah” that it would be a clone rather than a seed grown plant. Is that not always true?

Clonal names go in quotes. However, Sapphire's Galah is the grex / hybrid name, not the clonal name, so it does not go in quotes.

[Chicago]

Ahh, well that totally explains the amount of variation everyone has in this Phal cross. Thank you! She better be fragrant and amazing or I’m gonna have to give her away. Not enough room on my table these days for “meh”

[Chicago]

Update: mild spicy-sweet fragrance, strongest with morning sun. Became fragrant after it had been open a few days. Still just one flower open, though other buds seem waiting in the wings

[signin1234]

Nice!