Phalaenopsis modesta J.J. Sm. 1906 SUBGENUS Phalaenopsis SECTION Polychilos [Breda] Rchb.f
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Photo by Nik Fahmi
Common Name The Modest Phalaenopsis [the flowers are partially obscured by the leaves]
Flower Size 1" to 1 1/2"
Found in Borneo in lower stature hill and lower montane forests low down or on the base and roots of trees near streams at elevations around 50 to 900 meters as a small sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with a short stem enveloped completely by several leaf-bearing sheaths and carrying a few, distichous, fleshy, obovate to obovate-lanceolate, acute, gradually narrowing below into the subpetiolate base leaves that blooms in the spring and in the fall on a slender, arching to pendant, 5 to 6" [12.5 to 15 cm] long, racemose or occasionally sparsly branched, few to many flowered inflorescence that is shorter than the leaf with distichous, ovate-lanceolate, cucullate floral bracts and carry somewhat delicate, strongly fragrant honeysuckle, grape, lilac and candy scented flowers.
Synonyms Phalaenopsis modesta f. alba O.Gruss & Roeth 2009; Polychilos modesta (J.J. Sm.) Shim 1982
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 38 No 3 1969 drawing fide; The Genus Phalaenopsis Sweet 1980 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 3 1980 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 5 1980 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 46 No 1 1982 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 51 No 3 1987 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 19/20 1129 - 1264 Brieger 1988 drawing fide; Orchid Species Culture "P" Bakers 1991; The Plants of Mount Kinabalu Vol 2 Orchids Beaman, Wood, Beaman & Beaman 1993; Orchids of Borneo Vol 1 Chan, Lamb, Shim & Wood 1994 drawing/photo fide; A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994 drawing fide; Phalaenopsis, A Monograph EA Christenson 2001 drawing/photo fide; Phalaenopsis, A Monograph EA Christenson 2001 as P modesta var bella; A to Z of South East Asian Orchid Species Vol 1 O'Byrne 2001 photo fide; Orchids of Sarawak Beeman & Wood 2001 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 66 #4 2002 photo fide; The Orchids of Mount Kinabalu Vol 1 Wood, Beaman, Lamb & Lun 2011 photo fide; The Orchids of Mount Kinabalu Vol 2 Wood, Beaman, Lamb, Chu Lun and Beaman 2011 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016; Orchid Digest Vol 83 #4 2019 Photo fide
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