Orchid Borealis

My orchid room gets filled with wonderful fragrance every year around May, and the fragrance intensifies in the evening.  We were away for 10 days at the end of May this year, so we missed quite a bit of this experience, but there are still some Vanda (Neofinetia) falcata blooming in the mid-June.    This variety, 高隈 (Takakuma), has white tiger variegation, and the pattern is fairy fuzzy (i.e. the borders of white and green parts are not sharply defined).  You might be wondering why this is "white" variegation since the variegation in the photo shows more yellowish patches.  But they are whiter in the new leaves and as the leaves become older, the variegation either disappears and/or becomes yellowish.  Most leaves on this plant are from last year or earlier, so you don't see the new leaves with white variegation in the photo.  Horiuchi (1995) mentioned that it would retain the beautiful variegation longer if it is grown under more shady condition, bu...

This variety, 御城覆輪 (Gojou-fukurin),  is a medium sized  Vanda  ( Neofinetia )  falcata .  The leaves are relatively straight and does not curve down too much, so the leaves look spreading up.  Because of this leaf shape, it gives an impression of masculine beauty.  The color of marginal variegation is white, but there are some variations, probably due to the culture.  It has Doro-jiku (brown/purple stem/base of the leaves), and the tips of the roots are green (Ao-ne).  Tenkei-fukurin (天恵覆輪), derived from Gojou-fukurin, has yellow fukurin and the width of the variegation is generally wider (i.e. the green part seems to be narrower).  Gekkeikan (月桂冠) is also derived from Gojou-fukurin and the newer leaves have white fukurin, but becomes yellow as the leaves age.  There is also a rare variety, Tenjou-nishiki (天城錦), derived from Tenkei-fukurin, and it has small, needle (narrow) leaves. This is a fairly old variety, discovered mor...