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Friday, November 28, 2008

In Bloom: Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica

Phal. hieroglyphica, first bloom. The flower is a good size, maybe 3" across with nice heavy substance. The species was considered a variety of lueddemanniana at one point, and may still be by some folks. I can't tell if this one is actually a hieroglyphica or if it is actually a lueddemanniana. Its markings look more like luedde., as hieroglyphica generally has faint markings that do not extend all the way to the edges of the petals, but actually color and markings have little, if anything, to do with species identification. For times like these, it would be great to have a copy of Christenson's book, Phalaenopsis: A Monograph, which has a compilation of technical descriptions. Why does it matter, you ask? Well, if I breed a plant its important to know what it is so that the hybrids are correctly identified, and all recipients of seedlings get what they're expecting. I don't want to slap just any name on a plant.

2 comments:

Barbra said...

I'm not sure if your photos or your words are more riveting...well,both are great!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I love it! I'm sure you have tons of phals in bloom or soon to be in bloom right now. I'm loaded with plants setting buds right now. I'm so happy to see the new greenhouse has greatly increased my flower production this year.