【Orchid-related terms】Flower color, shape, and pattern

In the world of orchids, there are many specialized terms that can help you understand flowers better. Here we will introduce some interesting terms that relate to the color, shape, and pattern of flowers.

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• alba/album/albescens

  "allba/album are commonly" used to refer to "pure white flowers," but more accurately, they refer to flowers that have lost their pigment compared to their standard color. Albescens refers to flowers that have not lost all their pigment and still retain some color. The suffix "scens" means "toward."

  
  

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  C. jenmanii alba Select (rubra ‘Corazon’ x ‘White Lip’)

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  C. percivaliana albescens ‘Henrique Junior’

• aquinii/flamea/splash/striata

  It commonly refers to the wedge or stripe pattern on the petals that is the same color as the lip. It is mainly used for cattleyas, but the definition varies depending on the country and grower.

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  C. trianae splash ‘Hanabi’

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  C. purpurata werhauseri-striata ‘Blue Wings’

• aurea/aureum

  From the word for "gold," it means yellow flowers.

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  C. coccinea aurea ‘Tae’ BM_JGP

• coerulea/coerulescens

  Coerulea is a flower that is entirely bluish purple. It is considered to be the rarest color change in nature. Coerulescens is similar to coerulea, but is a slightly paler blue-purple.

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  C. jenmanii coerulea ‘Puerto Azul’

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  C.warscewiczii coerulescens ‘Sestillal’

• concolor

  The original meaning is "one color." The petals and lips are all the same color, which is usually pink.

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  C. mossiae concolor Select (‘#14’ x ‘Ismenia’)

• rubra/rubrum

  Originally a word meaning red, but generally used to describe a darker color than normal.

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  C. lueddemanniana rubra ‘Infierno’

• semialba/semialbum

  It often means a flower with "white petals and a red lip," but originally it was considered a "semialba" if the pigments of petals and sepals (including the underside of the flower) other than the lip were missing.

  
  

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  C. mossiae semi-alba (aquinii) ‘Encontrar’

• tipo

  It means "standard color" and is often not specified.

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  C. maxima ‘Good Time’ SBM_JOGA (tipo)

• trilabelo (pelorica)

  tri = 3, labelo = lip. Three-lip flower. Petals have lip-like features. Also called "pelorica".

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  C. trianae trilabelo ‘Select’

• vinicolor

  Wine color. Refers to a color similar to red wine.

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  C. walkeriana vinicolor ‘Lucas Cavasini’ AM_ACWJ

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Orchid cultivation is a complex subject, and in addition to the flower colors and shapes introduced this time, there are many other technical terms that are useful to know. In the next blog, we plan to write about the names of parts and terms related to cultivation. Please look forward to it!

[Notes]

Source: JOGA (Japan Orchid Growers Association) Review No. 31, p. 31, Published October 18, 2024

Photo: Andes Corporation, M's Orchid, Azabu Nursery, Wakayama Orchid, Satox & Benton Japan.