Hybrid Name: Phalaenopsis Penang Girl
Parents: Phal venosa ‘Dark Bronze’ x Phal. violacea ‘Brother’
Care Group: See Phalaenopsis Orchid Care
Advanced Care: See Summer Blooming Phals
More About Phalaenopsis Penang Girl
Phalaenopsis Penang Girl Care
Phal Penang Girl was one of the original orchid hybrids that brought my interest back to Phalaenopsis. Seeing many photos of coerulea plants and some that were brown or orange really stood out and appealed to me compared to many of the other novelty phals. I picked this particular plant up from our orchid society as a keiki from a member’s plant.
As a summer blooming Phal, Penang Girl blooms around June/July. The flowers (of my plant) are very fragrant, but the influence of venosa means the fragrance isn’t exactly “nice” – they smell kind of like marigolds. Newly-opened flowers start out a deep maroon and then fade to orange (a rarer color in phals that comes from venosa). If you’re looking at getting a Penang Girl hybrid, beware that the colors can be quite varied depending largely on the parents used—purples, earthy browns or yellows are also common.
Care is straight forward and I offer this plant the same as my other warm-growing phalaenopsis. I used a potting mix of about 60% perlite to 40% sphagnum moss. This potting mix worked well…but I suspect that is more a function of my specific plant having good root vigor, not due to the media itself. The roots are also frequently dry as there a bunch of them in the pot and they suck the water up quickly. When watering, I have to soak the roots every week for about 5 mins otherwise they don’t get enough water.
Phalaenopsis Penang Girl Photos
