they all look the same
 

Hi!

I hadn't planned on doing this, but curiosity got the better of me. I tried identifying these myself based on common orchid types, and got confused because sometimes the flowers match up, but the plant part does not ???

All three are in the same large, deep pot full or coarse orchid bark. Mom gifted them to me 2.5 years ago, we cut the bottom of the pot off and placed them into the larger pot. They are located at an east facing window, where many times I forget to open the curtains. I am coastal, house temps average 67-74F, and my humidity remains upper 60s. I keep the window open almost 24/7. They seem to be doing well. Then they began sprouting their roots all over last month, which made me begin research.

Orchid 01: Dendro or Phal? Looks like "typical" grocery store orchid. Has a slight floral scent, and bloom lasts 6-9 months. The plant picture looks brownish, it is a nice bright green, sorry, it was early morning when I took the photo.

Orchid 02: Zygo? Appears to be a pseudobulb? Bloom lasted about 3 months, has a honey aroma

Orchid 03: Dendro or Cattleya? This one has bloomed multiple times this year, they last about a month, and has sticky dew drops all over. The aroma is quite strong, floral and fruity.

Thank you for reviewing!

The first plant is definitely a phal, very pretty. The second looks like a zygo to me, and your leaves are in good shape, not all full of spots like zygos so often are. The third looks like a Den. nobile type, maybe a warmth-tolerant one if it is blooming multiple times a year. Nice collection.

First two - phalaenopsis.
Next two - zygo hybrid
Last 3 nobile-type dendrobium

Right on, thank you both!

With time, study, and exposure to more and more plants, you'll get a good "feel" for identification.

first one resembles Phalaenopsis "Brother Sarah Gold"

Second one looks like Zygopetalum "Rhein Clown"

Third one is a dendrobium Nobile - could be a "memory love Fizz" variant

SO - I am posting this for the benefit of everyone, so PLEASE don't take offense.

Swimmingorchids was wise to use qualifiers like "looks like" and "resembles", as it is VERY difficult to ID plants from their flowers, even with species, and definitely with hybrids, because complex hybrids of differing parentage can look quite similar, individual cultivars of the same plant can look entirely different from others, and culture can play a role too, to the point that two plants of the same clone can look different.

For example, here is a screen capture of the cultivars of Phalaenopsis Brother Sara Gold from OrchidWiz:

http://firstrays.com/Pictures_orchid..._Sara_Gold.jpg

Good the original image be of another cultivar? Possibly, but we'll never know for sure.

Another example, this time and entirely different hybrid that looks similar to the zygo image, but in this case, are cultivars of Galeopetalum Giant:

http://firstrays.com/Pictures_orchids/Gptm_Giant.jpg

Using the galeopetalum as an example for nomenclature - the species or hybrid (grex) name is never put in quotes; that is reserved for the cultivar name, and that is single quotes only. The one in the bottom center, for example, is Gptm. Giant 'Rhein Moonlight'.

This is why I said they all look the same to me :D.

Well, I have enough information now, sorry to have created the ruckus :p

On second thought, I would like to know how you all arrived at the the fact that #2 is a zygo. If I look up "Galeopetalum Giant", the blooms looks the same. So maybe the key is in the plant. But I found this one website, and the plant itself also looks the same. If I look up zygopetalum, not only do I get similar flowers, but similar plants as well.

Next I researched zygopetalum vs galeopetalum, and, uhmmm.. I see terminology here and there that they are subgroups of the group zygopetalum, but I'm not familiar where "group" and "subgroup" fall on the taxonomy chart.

Searching more, zygo in taxonomy is the genus.. so is galeo a species of zygo? Or its own genus? Tribe? Subtribe? Uh boy. Now I'm searching for orchid taxonomic flow charts and the rabbit hole just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

I am beyond confused :D

Galeopetalum is an intergeneric hybrid (human-made) in the Zygopetalum group. It is Zygopetalum x Galeottia in varying combinations - usually mostly Zygopetalum. Other genera that are closely related breed with Zygopetalum, letting the the hybridizer expand the color palette of the Zygos and also breed for other characteristics.