who posted this flower recently and what is it??

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by neophyte

i really, really need one of those now...

What is especially cool about Phal tetraspis (and also Phal. speciosa which is closely related) is that each flower is different. On the same plant, even on the same inflorescence, you can get all segments white,all segments with color, or any combination of white and color.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by neophyte

i really, really need one of those now...

Right!?!? She haunts my dreams

Now I at least know her name...

---------- Post added at 10:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

What is especially cool about Phal tetraspis (and also Phal. speciosa which is closely related) is that each flower is different. On the same plant, even on the same inflorescence, you can get all segments white,all segments with color, or any combination of white and color.

Wow and double wow

I need to see varied flowers in one spike!!! That is mind blowing

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

I need to see varied flowers in one spike!!! That is mind blowing

I don't have a photo of Phal. tetraspis with multiple flowers, but here's Phal. speciosa. I think there's 2 or 3 spikes, 2 or 3 flowers on each spike. All different.

[neophyte]

what a lovely specimen!

i wonder how the flower manages to achieve the coloration. if the cells were randomly expressing pigmentation, then you would expect spotting/patching/blotching but the petal pigmentation is very uniform... (although of course the overall coloration is asymmetric)

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by neophyte

what a lovely specimen!

i wonder how the flower manages to achieve the coloration. if the cells were randomly expressing pigmentation, then you would expect spotting/patching/blotching but the petal pigmentation is very uniform... (although of course the overall coloration is asymmetric)

It can be more splotchy... here's one that came as Phal. tetraspis, then someone IDed it as Phal speciosa (I think the difference is actually a subtle one on the lip, like number of hairs) So I really don't know which one it is. But the same group...

[neophyte]

cool! do environmental factors affect the blooms or is it totally random?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by neophyte

cool! do environmental factors affect the blooms or is it totally random?

Totally random, as far as I can tell... these variations on each of the two plants are in the same blooming... next blooming just as random. It's just what these species do.

[neophyte]

now that I'm thinking of getting one... what are the care requirements (especially temps/humidity)?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by neophyte

now that I'm thinking of getting one... what are the care requirements (especially temps/humidity)?

Pretty much general Phal conditions. I have found that my survival rate for Phal species is better in a basket with either bark or loosely-packed sphagnum than in a pot, but my greenhouse is pretty humid. In the house sphagnum in a pot might work better. These are fairly small plants, spikes aren't long, but they bloom sequentially.

[camille1585]

This thread has reminded me that I've wanted a bicolored tetraspis or speciosa for years.

Thanks to you, I found it at one of my usual vendors, and am now wondering how I went from intending to buy just one orchid to having an entire shopping basket of them! Now to wait for the weather to warm up a bit before ordering... I found the usual tetraspis C#1, and also Phal. speciosa red x blue which looks like the one is the photo you shared. Now to decide which of the 2 to buy...