LOVE this NoID Phal

[Kim in CT]

I had to share this little NoID phal I picked up on the discount rack last year, probably relegated since it wasn't blooming. The speckled leaves caught my attention at the time. And then it bloomed! I am in LOVE with the apricot-pinky flowers. And then it became fragrant! I walked past it one day, having no idea where the amazing floral scent was coming from, and it was this incredible phal! It smells like a cross between lily of the valley and old-fashioned roses, and fills the room. Gob-smacked.

My family looks at me like a weirdo when I talk about stuff like this, so I wanted to share with people who know exactly how much joy this brings. It's now sitting on my desk at work so I can smell it all day long.

Kim

[rbarata]

It has something of Liodoro in it.

[MCD]

It's likely a Phal. Scention, a trade name from Dutch breeder Sion, or another one of their similar fragrant hybrids that have been widely available. I happen to have one as well From my and others experiences it can be a bit more fussy than your usual hybrid.

[FranningtonBear]

That's a beauty, NoID or not. I love the bloom colours but those speckled leaves are really pretty and add extra interest too.

What a good rescue!

[aihpcfl]

Originally Posted by Kim in CT

[. . .]

My family looks at me like a weirdo when I talk about stuff like this, so I wanted to share with people who know exactly how much joy this brings. It's now sitting on my desk at work so I can smell it all day long.

Kim

I get it.

[Kim in CT]

Originally Posted by MCD

It's likely a Phal. Scention, a trade name from Dutch breeder Sion, or another one of their similar fragrant hybrids that have been widely available. I happen to have one as well From my and others experiences it can be a bit more fussy than your usual hybrid.

That sure looks like it! I'd not heard of these before but it appears there are quite a variety available. The pun-ny names (Odorion, Aromio, Scention, Scentsation) make it seem like these aren't "serious" orchids, but the fragrance is seriously amazing.

Can you elaborate on best conditions? What makes them fussy? Thanks!

[DeaC]

What a find! Beautiful in every way...enjoy.

[MCD]

Originally Posted by Kim in CT

That sure looks like it! I'd not heard of these before but it appears there are quite a variety available. The pun-ny names (Odorion, Aromio, Scention, Scentsation) make it seem like these aren't "serious" orchids, but the fragrance is seriously amazing.

Can you elaborate on best conditions? What makes them fussy? Thanks!

Not sure what makes it fussy, just that I've seen many people have issues with it on various groups/forums, so there must be something to it.

I haven't really found the sweet spot for mine; it had a near death experience after some accidental sun exposure, getting stem rot and dropping all its leaves. After 2 months as a leafless dried stump (but with a fair amount of roots) it pushed out a new growth, and it bloomed again for the first time this winter. My best guess at the moment would be that compared to regular hybrid phals, it may prefer warmer, drier and less light, but it's just my guess.

[estación seca]

All Phals. want low light. They never need direct sun on their leaves and that often causes sunburn. I see many photos from people growing Phals. under lights whose plants are getting too much light. Research shows they produce more and larger flowers with around 1,000 footcandles of light.

[MCD]

My point was that this hybrid may be affected more negatively than average by too much light, so you might need to be more careful than usual.

I don't entirely agree that "all phals want low light", there are species that prefer higher light levels, pulcherrima for one.