bellina or violacea or something else?
 

I bought this one from Norman's as Phal. bellina F4. It just bloomed but doesn't look like any bellina I've seen from pictures. It's mostly purple, so I thought it might be the violacea, but it's not a solid color. So is it a hybrid or something else?

Looks like a hybrid.. .

After Googling it, yes it does. Well that's sort of disappointing. Not trusting Norman's cultivar names ever again. I remember him handing this one to me personally with an annoyed look on his face.

I don’t think it’s even a bellina or violacea hybrid.

Obviously a mistake. Ask for your money back, or failing at that, open a dispute with the credit card issuer or PayPal, whichever you used.

looks like Jiaho Blueberry NF2442 on his site. Or even Summer Rose MC2322

Have to ask, any idea why he might have looked annoyed at you?

Thanks! I just scrolled through his entire catalog of Phals and I think you're onto something. On account of the bluish purple color on the lip and diffusive colors on the petal, I think it does look a lot like the Jiaho Blueberry. The parentage makes sense too, since it does have a quite strong fragrance that is similar to some descriptions of the violacea.

Norman always looks annoyed, but that day I came in asking for a particular offering without preordering, and he gets mad, I guess, when he has to order his brother (or whomever the other guy who looks like him is) to walk 2 minutes to the back of the greenhouse to check if something is in stock. He gave me a 2-3 minute rant, then the other guy came back in 2-3 minutes with the plant in one hand and a tag in the other. :dunno:

---------- Post added at 11:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:24 AM ----------

Knowing Norman, this would cause disastrous consequences, and I rather not burn that bridge at this moment. It's just an unfortunate cost of doing business. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Sometimes, it's hard to say if somebody's looks at a particular time (or at any time) is really and truly representative of their actual state.

But if I am a customer and I go into a store being nice and friendly, and behaving with best diplomacy ----- and if the representative or owner happens to treat me with obvious disrespect ----- then I would actually say something, and then I would leave.

The flower in that pic you uploaded looks so nice. Even if a no-id, I'd definitely keep that one. It is great. That'll teach them to give the wrong one hahaha. Sometimes, it just so-happens that things turn out in our favour like this. Ending up with such a nice orchid with nice flower.

For sure. I'm generally a species collector, but I'll take the spare hybrid if it happens to fall into my lap. I do love the fragrance, but now I gotta go find a real bellina.

Norman, I think, has a reputation for being grumpy and vindictive for the pettiest reasons. He has disrespected me on more than one occasion, and I was about to walk out if they didn't hand me my plant just in time. Unfortunately, several factors maintain this relationship:

• He has one of the largest selections of certain types of orchids.
• His greenhouse is 15-20 minutes away.
• He runs one of the most active local orchid societies in this area.

So, so long as I could go into his place once in a blue moon, pick out something I want, and walk out, I'm okay with this.

Check Hausermann's for a bellina. They have them periodically on their website for a decent price. Mine came from there and I love it.

That's too bad about your experience at Norman's Orchids. I've had mixed results when I've ordered from them in the past. Perhaps you could find another vendor in your vicinity (surely there are lots of options in L.A.) to start patronizing. I don't really take attitudes and personalities into account when buying an orchid. But you should, at a minimum, expect to get what you're buying. And I believe that an honorable and intelligent vendor would be keen on correcting an error very quickly. If Norman himself (or his namesake company) isn't willing to do that, then you have little to lose by letting him know that he's not the only game in town.

For Phalaenopsis bellina, you will get both quality plants and outstanding customer service from Krull Smith. You may want to prepare for a little sticker shock when you see their prices, but I speak from personal experience that their phals are always high quality, large flowering-size plants. I have purchased several of their bellinas over the last year, and they're magnificent plants. You could also try Big Leaf Orchids for this (and other) species.

Good luck with your search.

Steve