Get Growing with Lou Lodyga… Phalenopsis bellina
Anyone who has been growing orchids for years will know this species by its former name, Phalanopsis violacea v. Borneo. It was given full species status by Eric Christensen in 1995 and renamed bellina. Whatever name it goes by, this is a definite must for the Phalenopsis grower.
Since it comes from Borneo and
Malaysia, it requires shady, humid conditions, like one would find in a tropical forest. The flowers are produced in the summer and fall on short inflorescences and can have 2 to 3 highly fragrant flowers open at a time. One nice item about this plant is that the inflorescence on older plants can rebloom year after tear so don’t cut off any green viable inflorescences.
There are many excellent line bred forms available at nurseries. This species does well mounted, but since Phalanopsis are subject to crown rot if water stands in the crown for any length of time, mount them upside down. If you decide to grow them in a pot, you’ll need to repot them yearly if they are in sphagnum moss.