A flower that represents rare and exotic beauty. Much has been written about this flower and the history, myths and legend are extensive.
There is a wonderful story explaining how the white phalaenopsis became known as the moth orchid. During an expedition to Java many years ago, Swedish botanist Peter Osbeck mistook clusters of the orchids from a distance to resemble white moths. It wasn’t until he got closer, he discovered they were not.
The first recorded writings of the orchid were around 300 BC by Theophrastus, one of Aristotle's students.
Confucius kept them in his room and devoted time to writing poems in honour of their fragrance. He compared them to a superior man and its scent to the pleasures of friendship. The Romans seeped orchid roots in wine as an aphrodisiac.
It is from the orchid Vanilla Planifolia we get vanilla.
They are the true rainbows of the floral kingdom and come in every imaginable colorway. To date there are some 25,000 different varieties.
