Phalaenopsis pulchra (Rchb. f.) H.R. Sweet 1968 SUBGENUS Phalaenopsis SECTION Polychilos [Breda] Rchb.f
Photo by © Eric Hunt
Photo by Joseph Dougherty
to 
Common Name The Beautiful flowered Phalaenopsis
Flower Size 1.6 to 2.4" [4 to 6 cm]
Found in the Philippines found on eastern mountain slopes at elevations of 100 to 650 meters as a small sized, hot to warm growing, ascending, epiphytic species with very short stems enveloped by imbricating leaf bases carrying suberect, arcuate, oblong-elliptic to narrowly obovate, acute or subobtuse leaves that blooms in the fall on a lateral, suberect to arcuate, 4 to 10" [10 to 25 cm] long, racemose or paniculate, laxly few flowered inflorescence, shorter that the leaves, with small, triangular, acute, short floral bracts and fragrant, fleshy, star-shaped, magenta-purple flowers.
It does at times produce a much longer to 2' [to 60 cm] inflorescence that does not produce flowers, instead it produces apical keikis.
Synonyms Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana subvar. pulchra (Rchb.f.) A.H.Kent 1891; *Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana var. pulchra Rchb. f. 1875; Phalaenopsis luedemmannia var purpurea Ames & Quis. 1932; Polychilos pulchra (Rchb. f.) Shim 1982
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Studies in the Family Orchidaceae Fascile 2 Ames 1908 as P lueddenmanniana var pulchra; AOS Bulletin Vol 37 No 12 1968 as drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 34 #8 1970 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 37 No 1 1973 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 38 no 4 1974 photo fide; The Genus Phalaenopsis Sweet 1980 drawing/photo fide; The Complete Writings on Philippine Orchids Vol 1 Quisumbing 1981 as P lueddemannia var purpurea drawing/photo fide; Orchidiana Philipiniana Vol 1 Valmayor 1984; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 19/20 1129 - 1264 Brieger 1988; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo fide; Orchid Species Culture "P" Bakers 1991; Phalaenopsis, A Monograph EA Christenson 2001 drawing/photo fide; Orchids of the Philippines Cootes 2001 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 66 #4 2002 photo fide; Flora Malesiana Orchids of the Philippines Vol I Agoo, Shuiteman and de Vogel 2003; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 2 2004 photo fide; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide; Philippine Native Orchid Species Cootes 2011 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #6 2015 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 83 #4 2019 Photo fide
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