RHH's photos with the keyword: alba

This is the Eastern Great Egret photographed along the Daintree River in northern Queensland.

Phalaenopsis have become a popular houseplants. At least here in the United States they are available at grocery stores and box stores. Those available, however, are complex hybrids that have been bred over many generation and usually have long arching flower stems with many flowers. This Phalaenopsis is very different. It's a species that has only one or two flowers per stem at a time, though it produces flowers for many months, and the stems are very short, carrying the flowers just above the broad leaves. This species is from Sumatra and Malaysia and is an "alba" form, that is, it has none of the purple markings of the ordinary form.

This is the "albino" or alba form of the Mountain Lady's Slipper. It has none of the mahogany or burgundy coloring of the normal form. We found these while photographing the Mountain Lady's Slippers in the Cascades, the first time we found them anywhere. There were only two plants with three flowers among the hundreds of plants and flowers we found. And a word of explanation of the names: Cypripedium means "Venus Slipper", montanum means "mountain" and "praetertinctum" means "without color", so the names very accurately describe these flowers, which are, by all accounts rather rare. Though we have seen greenish flowers with just a hint of coloration this was the first time we saw this form.

This Phalaenopsis species, one of the few I grow, is from Malaysia and Sumatra and is intensely fragrant. It only produces one flower at a time on a flower spike, but blooms over a long period of time, the flower spikes producing flowers for years.

This species can be found in much of Central America.

This species is widespread through the Lesser Antilles and South America.

In Explore April 16, 2012, #109. Paphiopedilum Pinocchio, a Lady's Slipper orchid, is a hybrid of two species, glaucophyllum and primulinum. It blooms successively on long flower spikes and a well-grown plant is seldom without flowers. This particular plant is an "alba" form, without any red or purple coloring. It was photographed at the Northwest Orchid Society Show in Shoreline, Washington, on April 14th.

This is the albino form of Phalaenopsis violacea, without the purple color of the ordinary form. I bought it as P. violacea, that is, but I think it is actually the species now known as P. bellina. It is a first bloom seedling and I was reasonably pleased with it, though I had hoped for slightly better shape. It is native to Malaysia and Borneo. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2012/09/phalaenopsis-viol...

Another recent shot of the previous flower.

I purchased this as Phalaenopsis violacea but wonder if it is in fact Phalaenopsis bellina. Perhaps this close-up photo will help with identification. The species, if it is Phal. violacea, is from Malaysia and the island of Sumatra. It is beautifully scented, too, especially on warmer sunny days. It blooms successively on the same spikes and the plant have started to bloom is almost always in flower. There are several more pictures on the blog post below, but the color is different, though I cannot remember whether that was the result of the photography or whether they actually were a darker and different green. It is possible, too, that the flower above is older and has faded somewhat. I'll have to watch the plant more closely and see if I can figure it all out. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2012/09/phalaenopsis-viol...

This photo was taken last year in Washington Park. It shows a very rare white form of the Western Fairy Slipper, the only flower of this form I have ever seen. Sadly, when I went back to see it this spring someone had dug it up. The hole was still there. I can't understand that anyone can be so selfish and so stupid as to remove such a treasure from its place, but that's the way some people are. nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/05/w...