The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Phalaenopsis
Also called Phals, Moth Orchid
Phalaenopsis, the moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy epiphytic orchid species, grown mostly through its many hybrids. Its long-lasting flowers bloom for weeks and it is one of the easiest orchids to keep indoors.
Phalaenopsis (), also known as moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy species of plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are monopodial epiphytes or lithophytes with long, coarse roots, short, leafy stems and long-lasting, flat flowers arranged in a flowering stem that often branches near the end. Orchids in this genus are native to Asia, New Guinea, and Australia, but mostly occur in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Phalaenopsis, abbreviated Phal in the horticultural trade, are among the most popular orchids sold as potted plants, owing to the ease of propagation and flowering under artificial conditions. They were among the first tropical orchids in Victorian collections. Since the advent of the tetraploid hybrid Phalaenopsis Doris, they have become extremely easy to grow and flower in the home, as long as some care is taken to provide them with conditions that approximate their native habitats. Their commercial production has become an industry.
If very healthy, a Phalaenopsis plant may have up to ten or more leaves. They bloom in their full glory for several weeks. If kept in the home, the flowers may last two to three months after which a Phalaenopsis orchid will need to conserve energy for further leaf, bud, and root development.
Species of Phalaenopsis are found from India to southern China, Indochina, Malaysia and from Indonesia to the Philippines and New Guinea. There is a single species, Phalaenopsis rosenstromii, endemic to Queensland, Australia. Phalaenopsis stuartiana has become naturalised in Costa Rica, Panama, and Suriname.
Phalaenopsis subg. Hygrochilus · Phalaenopsis subg. Ornithochilus · Moth orchid · Phalaenopsis micholitzii
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Phalaenopsis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
