Thanks to everyone who answered my earlier query about phal species.
Now i read that phal equestris hybrids are usually miniature in size
and free blooming. I think it would be great if i could get some mini
phals to add to my collection, as i live under severe space
restrictions.

Any suggestions for sources of mini phals. Browsing through the
vendor's websites does not give much idea about plant size and its
parentage.

rajiv

On 15 Feb 2003 07:35:24 -0800, (rajiv) (rajiv)
wrote in Message ID :

Thanks to everyone who answered my earlier query about phal species.
Now i read that phal equestris hybrids are usually miniature in size
and free blooming. I think it would be great if i could get some mini
phals to add to my collection, as i live under severe space
restrictions.

Any suggestions for sources of mini phals. Browsing through the
vendor's websites does not give much idea about plant size and its
parentage.

rajiv

I'm not familiar with miniature Phal's., but if you have a Trader
Joe's Market near you, you're in luck. Last time I was there, they
had an abundant selection of minis in bloom at ~$6/ea.

http://www.traderjoes.com/locations/index.asp

Rajiv,

There are many "mini" phals. There is a whole industry of breeding going on
that is trying to produce smaller plants that fit in a windowsill
environment. Many of them have equestris as a parent.

If they have "little" or "mini" in the name and are multifloral, that is
usually a hint that they will be smaller free blooming plants. Many of the
smaller phals still only bloom annually.

A couple that I can tell you are smaller are Phal Little Steve (small plant
with small purple flowers), Phal MiniMark (small plant with white and peachy
tiny flowers), Phal Fantasy Musick (tiny white and purple flowers), Phal
Carmela Pixie (medium size plant with lots of medium sized purple flowers).

Also consider species phals. Many of them remain very small and are cute
little flowers that are best enjoyed in a smaller space where you can enjoy
them up close. Phal tetrespis, equestris, bastiani, and many others are
very available via the web and are sweet plants you could grow in limited
space. You could have a collection of just different equetris plants (alba,
semi-alba, upright blooms and lanscapis).

I'm sure everyone here who grows phals has a favorite that they could
recommend to you.

Good Growing,
Gene






"rajiv" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to everyone who answered my earlier query about phal species.
Now i read that phal equestris hybrids are usually miniature in size
and free blooming. I think it would be great if i could get some mini
phals to add to my collection, as i live under severe space
restrictions.

Any suggestions for sources of mini phals. Browsing through the
vendor's websites does not give much idea about plant size and its
parentage.

rajiv

I guess it depends upon what you consider a "minature", rajiv. It's true
equestris
has small flowers. But I have four of them, and the smallest wingspan is
12 inches. The largest plant has a wingspan of 18 inches, which I don't
consider
a "minature". Compared to really large Phals, that may constitute a "mini",
but I usually think of mini in terms of Mini Cattleyas that are several
times smaller than a regular sized Cattleya.


"rajiv" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to everyone who answered my earlier query about phal species.
Now i read that phal equestris hybrids are usually miniature in size
and free blooming. I think it would be great if i could get some mini
phals to add to my collection, as i live under severe space
restrictions.

Any suggestions for sources of mini phals. Browsing through the
vendor's websites does not give much idea about plant size and its
parentage.

rajiv

I fully agree. My equestris hybrids include Be Tris, Three Times a Lady and
Blue Too all of which have leaf spans over 10". They start blooming when
small and blooms are small but plentiful on bloom stems (semi-pendulous)
reaching 2 1/2-3'. I'd hardly call them mini's.
Gary

"Jim Landers" wrote in message
news:9JB3a.116226$2H6.2015@sccrnsc04...
I guess it depends upon what you consider a "minature", rajiv. It's true
equestris
has small flowers. But I have four of them, and the smallest wingspan is
12 inches. The largest plant has a wingspan of 18 inches, which I don't
consider
a "minature". Compared to really large Phals, that may constitute a
"mini",
but I usually think of mini in terms of Mini Cattleyas that are several
times smaller than a regular sized Cattleya.


"rajiv" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to everyone who answered my earlier query about phal species.
Now i read that phal equestris hybrids are usually miniature in size
and free blooming. I think it would be great if i could get some mini
phals to add to my collection, as i live under severe space
restrictions.

Any suggestions for sources of mini phals. Browsing through the
vendor's websites does not give much idea about plant size and its
parentage.

rajiv

Now i'm confused...Are there any true mini phals??? both in flower
size and in plant compactness?

Rajiv



"Gareth Wills" wrote in message ...
I fully agree. My equestris hybrids include Be Tris, Three Times a Lady and
Blue Too all of which have leaf spans over 10". They start blooming when
small and blooms are small but plentiful on bloom stems (semi-pendulous)
reaching 2 1/2-3'. I'd hardly call them mini's.
Gary

"Jim Landers" wrote in message
news:9JB3a.116226$2H6.2015@sccrnsc04...
I guess it depends upon what you consider a "minature", rajiv. It's true
equestris
has small flowers. But I have four of them, and the smallest wingspan is
12 inches. The largest plant has a wingspan of 18 inches, which I don't
consider
a "minature". Compared to really large Phals, that may constitute a
"mini",
but I usually think of mini in terms of Mini Cattleyas that are several
times smaller than a regular sized Cattleya.


"rajiv" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to everyone who answered my earlier query about phal species.
Now i read that phal equestris hybrids are usually miniature in size
and free blooming. I think it would be great if i could get some mini
phals to add to my collection, as i live under severe space
restrictions.

Any suggestions for sources of mini phals. Browsing through the
vendor's websites does not give much idea about plant size and its
parentage.

rajiv

Some of the "newer" discoveries from China, Vietnam and India are small - I
have a mature Phal. stobartiana that's got 3" leaves. Phal. chibae is
another little one.

--

Ray Barkalow First Rays Orchids
http://www.firstrays.com
Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!


"rajiv" wrote in message
om...
Now i'm confused...Are there any true mini phals??? both in flower
size and in plant compactness?

Rajiv



"Gareth Wills" wrote in message
...
I fully agree. My equestris hybrids include Be Tris, Three Times a Lady
and
Blue Too all of which have leaf spans over 10". They start blooming when
small and blooms are small but plentiful on bloom stems (semi-pendulous)
reaching 2 1/2-3'. I'd hardly call them mini's.
Gary

"Jim Landers" wrote in message
news:9JB3a.116226$2H6.2015@sccrnsc04...
I guess it depends upon what you consider a "minature", rajiv. It's
true
equestris
has small flowers. But I have four of them, and the smallest wingspan
is
12 inches. The largest plant has a wingspan of 18 inches, which I
don't
consider
a "minature". Compared to really large Phals, that may constitute a
"mini",
but I usually think of mini in terms of Mini Cattleyas that are
several
times smaller than a regular sized Cattleya.


"rajiv" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to everyone who answered my earlier query about phal species.
Now i read that phal equestris hybrids are usually miniature in size
and free blooming. I think it would be great if i could get some
mini
phals to add to my collection, as i live under severe space
restrictions.

Any suggestions for sources of mini phals. Browsing through the
vendor's websites does not give much idea about plant size and its
parentage.

rajiv

Rajiv,

Maybe you should think of it as smaller vs standard size. Many of the
plants we have listed here are smaller than some of the huge monster phals
you can get out there.

The smaller phals bloom earlier on smaller plants. Some day they do grow
larger. I have a few equestris plants that have remained under 6 inches in
the 5 years I've grown them. I have another plant of equetris that has
different parents that has a 14 inch leaf spread. The flowers are the same
on both varieties.

Phal Mini Mark will stay very small and is a slow grower. I don't think
I've ever seen one larger than a 12 inch leaf spread. I could imagine that
someone would grow an old plant that would eventually get larger than that.

Doritis pulcherrma is another plant that stays very small. (this is in the
phal family). Each plant is usually under 12 inches in leaf spread. The
problem is that as it gets older it keikis and quickly fills the pot with
many of the 12 inch plants. The flowers are definitely small but can have a
very tall (12-18+ inch) spike.

The species lobbii and parishii both have flowers about 3/4 inch or less.
They are very small plants. They are the smallest phal species that I can
think of. Check out www.orchidspecies.com for info about these two plants.

So I guess there are no real "mini" phals but some smaller ones that remain
very small through their life.

Good Growing,
Gene

P.S. The only rule with orchids is that there are no rules!



"rajiv" wrote in message
om...
Now i'm confused...Are there any true mini phals??? both in flower
size and in plant compactness?

Rajiv



"Gareth Wills" wrote in message
...
I fully agree. My equestris hybrids include Be Tris, Three Times a Lady
and
Blue Too all of which have leaf spans over 10". They start blooming when
small and blooms are small but plentiful on bloom stems (semi-pendulous)
reaching 2 1/2-3'. I'd hardly call them mini's.
Gary

"Jim Landers" wrote in message
news:9JB3a.116226$2H6.2015@sccrnsc04...
I guess it depends upon what you consider a "minature", rajiv. It's
true
equestris
has small flowers. But I have four of them, and the smallest wingspan
is
12 inches. The largest plant has a wingspan of 18 inches, which I
don't
consider
a "minature". Compared to really large Phals, that may constitute a
"mini",
but I usually think of mini in terms of Mini Cattleyas that are
several
times smaller than a regular sized Cattleya.


"rajiv" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to everyone who answered my earlier query about phal species.
Now i read that phal equestris hybrids are usually miniature in size
and free blooming. I think it would be great if i could get some
mini
phals to add to my collection, as i live under severe space
restrictions.

Any suggestions for sources of mini phals. Browsing through the
vendor's websites does not give much idea about plant size and its
parentage.

rajiv

This is an interesting thread. I don't have any of the smaller varieties
mentioned here, mostly because their flowers do not appeal to me; but some
of them I have never seen on sale either. I did have a Mini Mark at one
time, but it went south for the winter and unfortunately - never came back.
I vowed that if I ever saw one blooming at a show I would try it again
because the one I had was a very interesting and desirable little plant. I
had forgotten all about it until Gene mentioned it.

Al, you make a good point about leaf span vs. the combined width of two
opposing leaves. I've taken to using "wingspan" because it's more
descriptive than other terms I've seen, but it's not a highly desirable
description because I've never seen a Phal fly, unless of course it failed
to bloom, in which case....

With all the hybridization going on today, it's more difficult to generalize
about the size or characteristics of a plant unless you get a bone fide
species. I have supposed that's because of the desire for something new and
the commercial potential that lay therein. But for that reason, you'd think
there would be a lot of interest among growers to produce smaller Phals.
Maybe there is and I've just missed it?

I was at the Missouri Botanical Gardens annual orchid show the first of
February and can't recall seeing one plant I'd call a "mini" Phal. Of
course, I might have seen one and thought it was a "seedling". There were a
number of intriguing Cattleya minis. Anybody know any specific growers who
are pursuing smaller Phals?

"Al" wrote in message
...
http://www.orchidexchange.com/sizes.htm

A Phalaenopsis species Size Comparison Chart

This chart is just a general guide for people who think in inches and who
are looking for a basic size comparison of the species.
I used "Phalaenopsis, A Monograph" by Eric A Christenson as my source for
the data and species list. I converted from centimeters and millimeters
to
inches. I rounded without consistency but usually to the closest whole or
half number except where the numbers were very small.

Leaf Span means from leaf tip to leaf tip. It is not a measurement of
each
leaf. Christenson's text measures each leaf in centimeters. I doubled
this
number.

Natural Spread of Flowers means from petal tip to petal tip. It is not a
measurement of each petal. Christenson's text measures each petal in
centimeters or millimeters. I doubled this number.

Spike Length uses a "?" when the text did not give a length.

I have not seen many of these plants personally. In some cases my plants
do
not match these measurements. I have a chibae with a spike length close
to
15 inches. My lobbii and parishii have leaf spans half the size
indicated.
With Phal minus, I used my own measurements from my own plant.

If you find a real error, let me know.

Jim Landers wrote:
This is an interesting thread. I don't have any of the smaller varieties
mentioned here, mostly because their flowers do not appeal to me; but some
of them I have never seen on sale either. I did have a Mini Mark at one
time, but it went south for the winter and unfortunately - never came back.
I vowed that if I ever saw one blooming at a show I would try it again
because the one I had was a very interesting and desirable little plant. I
had forgotten all about it until Gene mentioned it.

He also mentioned Phal Fantasy Musick which is about the same size
of Mini Mark (plant-wise), but the flowers are a bit smaller. It
also just started blooming for me .

http://www.chaotropic.net/pics/galle...es/musick1.jpg

I dare you to resist it .

Nina
--
C'est les microbes qui auront le dernier mot.
Louis Pasteur
http://www.chaotropic.net

According to Mr. Christenson's book Phal amabilis var formosana may be
Phal. aphrodite subsp. formosana and the leaf span tops out at about 20".
There is a lot of name confusion between species in some of these groups,
your plant isn't necessarily labeled incorrectly

The numbers for amablis as they are listed in the book are correct.

These plants never read the books and have no idea how they are suppose to
look or act.


"Dewitt" wrote in message
...

If you find a real error, let me know.


39" leaf span for amabilis?! I thought mine was mature at about 18".
Perhaps Phal amabilis var. formosana is a smaller form. . .

deg

Holy Cow Al, where do you keep gigantea with a leaf span of 54".....I'd
never see my dining room table again!

--
Hugs,
Molli

Happy 19103 (I am NOT Y2K compatible)
"Al" wrote in message
...
http://www.orchidexchange.com/sizes.htm

A Phalaenopsis species Size Comparison Chart

This chart is just a general guide for people who think in inches and who
are looking for a basic size comparison of the species.
I used "Phalaenopsis, A Monograph" by Eric A Christenson as my source for
the data and species list. I converted from centimeters and millimeters
to
inches. I rounded without consistency but usually to the closest whole or
half number except where the numbers were very small.

Leaf Span means from leaf tip to leaf tip. It is not a measurement of
each
leaf. Christenson's text measures each leaf in centimeters. I doubled
this
number.

Natural Spread of Flowers means from petal tip to petal tip. It is not a
measurement of each petal. Christenson's text measures each petal in
centimeters or millimeters. I doubled this number.

Spike Length uses a "?" when the text did not give a length.

I have not seen many of these plants personally. In some cases my plants
do
not match these measurements. I have a chibae with a spike length close
to
15 inches. My lobbii and parishii have leaf spans half the size
indicated.
With Phal minus, I used my own measurements from my own plant.

If you find a real error, let me know.

On Sun, 16 Feb 2003 18:35:56 -0500, "Al"
wrote:

According to Mr. Christenson's book Phal amabilis var formosana may be
Phal. aphrodite subsp. formosana and the leaf span tops out at about 20".
There is a lot of name confusion between species in some of these groups,
your plant isn't necessarily labeled incorrectly

Thanks for the info. With a limited growing area, I'm happy mine is a
var formosana. A Phal. amabilis with a 39" leaf span in bloom must be
an impressive sight.

deg

Jim,

Check out the Carter and Holmes website. I remember that last summer they
were offering Mini Mark "Mendenhall" (an awarded variety). They have good
stuff.

Gene




"Jim Landers" wrote in message
news:cUQ3a.125395$2H6.2508@sccrnsc04...
This is an interesting thread. I don't have any of the smaller varieties
mentioned here, mostly because their flowers do not appeal to me; but some
of them I have never seen on sale either. I did have a Mini Mark at one
time, but it went south for the winter and unfortunately - never came
back.
I vowed that if I ever saw one blooming at a show I would try it again
because the one I had was a very interesting and desirable little plant. I
had forgotten all about it until Gene mentioned it.

Al, you make a good point about leaf span vs. the combined width of two
opposing leaves. I've taken to using "wingspan" because it's more
descriptive than other terms I've seen, but it's not a highly desirable
description because I've never seen a Phal fly, unless of course it failed
to bloom, in which case....

With all the hybridization going on today, it's more difficult to
generalize
about the size or characteristics of a plant unless you get a bone fide
species. I have supposed that's because of the desire for something new
and
the commercial potential that lay therein. But for that reason, you'd
think
there would be a lot of interest among growers to produce smaller Phals.
Maybe there is and I've just missed it?

I was at the Missouri Botanical Gardens annual orchid show the first of
February and can't recall seeing one plant I'd call a "mini" Phal. Of
course, I might have seen one and thought it was a "seedling". There were
a
number of intriguing Cattleya minis. Anybody know any specific growers who
are pursuing smaller Phals?

"Al" wrote in message
...
http://www.orchidexchange.com/sizes.htm

A Phalaenopsis species Size Comparison Chart

This chart is just a general guide for people who think in inches and
who
are looking for a basic size comparison of the species.
I used "Phalaenopsis, A Monograph" by Eric A Christenson as my source
for
the data and species list. I converted from centimeters and millimeters
to
inches. I rounded without consistency but usually to the closest whole
or
half number except where the numbers were very small.

Leaf Span means from leaf tip to leaf tip. It is not a measurement of
each
leaf. Christenson's text measures each leaf in centimeters. I doubled
this
number.

Natural Spread of Flowers means from petal tip to petal tip. It is not
a
measurement of each petal. Christenson's text measures each petal in
centimeters or millimeters. I doubled this number.

Spike Length uses a "?" when the text did not give a length.

I have not seen many of these plants personally. In some cases my
plants
do
not match these measurements. I have a chibae with a spike length close
to
15 inches. My lobbii and parishii have leaf spans half the size
indicated.
With Phal minus, I used my own measurements from my own plant.

If you find a real error, let me know.

That's a nice one, Nina. I'll have to look around for that little bugger.


"Nina Baltes" wrote in message
...
Jim Landers wrote:
This is an interesting thread. I don't have any of the smaller
varieties
mentioned here, mostly because their flowers do not appeal to me; but
some
of them I have never seen on sale either. I did have a Mini Mark at one
time, but it went south for the winter and unfortunately - never came
back.
I vowed that if I ever saw one blooming at a show I would try it again
because the one I had was a very interesting and desirable little plant.
I
had forgotten all about it until Gene mentioned it.

He also mentioned Phal Fantasy Musick which is about the same size
of Mini Mark (plant-wise), but the flowers are a bit smaller. It
also just started blooming for me .

http://www.chaotropic.net/pics/galle...es/musick1.jpg

I dare you to resist it .

Nina
--
C'est les microbes qui auront le dernier mot.
Louis Pasteur
http://www.chaotropic.net