RHH's photos with the keyword: phalaenopsis

I have a weakness for classic white Phalaenopsis with their long stems of beautifully arranged flowers. These were photographed in the Geiser Conservatory at Manito City Park in Spokane.

These white Phaenopsis orchids were photographed in the Geiser Conservatory at Manito City Park in Spokane.

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.

I do not grow many Phalaenopsis, and this is the only hybrid Phalaenopsis in my collection, a miniature. It is a hybrid of Phalaenopsis philippinense and Phalaenopsis Micro Nova

Another orchid from our recent show, this belongs to a fellow member and friend who grows Phalaenopsis almost exclusively.

This is not my plant, but a friend's who had it at the Mount Baker Orchid Society's show where I photographed it. If I remember correctly, this received the award for the best plant in the show since it was covered with flowers. I grow only a couple of small Phalaenopsis species and certainly nothing this large.

A hybrid of Doritaenopsis James Hall and Phalaenopsis Moon Probe.

A hybrid of Phalaenopsis Alida and Phalaenopsis Royal Satin.

Native to Borneo.

This species is from Borneo and is sometimes referred to as Phalenopsis violacea var. borneo.

"It was spattered with hundreds and hundreds of burgundy flecks. The flecks were slightly ovoid, and they were clustered in curving rows so that they looked as if they had been painted on as the flower spun around. Staring at the pattern of the flecks was dizzying. Staring at it for a long time was hypnotizing." Susan Orlean, The Orchid Thief In Explore June 20, 2009, #438.

This is Phalaenopsis Micro Nova crossed with Phalaenopsis philippinensis, a miniature Phalaenopsis. I've included this photo and the previous to illustrate the results of "focus stacking." As those who are interested in macro photography know, it is difficult to get good bokeh and good depth of field in the same picture. Often one has to be traded off for the other, i.e., if a larger aperture is used to blur the background, then the depth of field will be very shallow and the front or back of the subject will be out of focus. This does not always matter, but if it does the problem can be solved using "focus stacking." This involves taking a number of the same picture (using a tripod), but in each picture focusing on a different part of the subject, i.e., front, middle, back, and then "stacking" the pictures using suitable software so that the result is a picture in perfect focus from front to back. This particular photo was stacked using a freeware program called CombineZM and is a "stack" of three photos. This software can be downloaded at www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=61316 and there are detailed instructions for using the software at that site as well.

Phalaenopsis Micro Nova crossed with Phalaenopsis philippinense.

In Explore October 14, 2009, #123. Thanks Brenda for the notice. This is a cross of Phalaenopsis Golden Gift and Phalaenopsis venosa. It was photographed when it was awarded by the American Orchid Society.

In Explore November 15, 2009, #226. The quotation is from Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici. The flowers are from a nameless Phalaenopsis plant.

The quotation is from Sara Teasdale.