Neofinetia falcata

This is actually my son's plant, though I have a number of different Neofinetias as well.  He does grow it in my plant case and so I suppose that justifies its inclusion here.  He purchased the plant at one of our society auctions and it has flourished.  It is just finishing blooming with two flower spikes, ten flowers and is sending up several new fans of leaves as well.

For those who do not know, Neofinetia falcata is native to Japan and has been extensively inter-breed by them producing all sorts of interesting variations of leaves, roots and flowers, including flowers that are not just plain white like the wild species.  This plant, to our surprise, showed some pink color especially in the long spurs, but does not seem as fragrant as some clones.

This plant is 10 cm tall and the fans equally wide.  The flowers have spurs that are very long and the whole flower is 7 cm from top to bottom.  It is growing in a mesh basket on a mound of live sphagnum, the way many expert growers of this species recommend.  We try to give it a drier rest in the winter when the temperatures are somewhat cooler also.

Neofinetia falcata 'Gojyo Fukurin'

Neofineta falcata is a well known miniature orchid, both because of its lovely long-spurred flowers and because of its beautiful fragrance. It is another orchid that has been extensively interbred by the Japanese, producing many unusual (and expensive) varieties.

This variety is typical in size and leave shape but is known for its variegated foliage, green with creamy yellow margins.  It seems to have less scent also than the common variety of the species, but perhaps that is only my lack of ability to detect the scent.

It is native to Japan and is a part of the Vanda alliance though it is dwarfed by its larger cousins.  It has also been increasingly used in hybridizing with other members of the Vanda alliance to produce small plants with delicately colored flowers.