Bloom Event - Phalaenopsis 'Sweet Kizz'

I still haven't made up my mind whether I like this flower or not. I got it at Christmas from the sale bench at Burnham Nurseries. It had some marks on the flowers but other than that there was nothing wrong with it, so I bought it out of interest more than anything. At any rate, it flowered for months but when it finally stopped I cut the flower spike back to a node and it has now produced two branches, both with several flowers.

Notice that the lip is modified to almost resemble the lateral petals. It resembles a form of pleorism (in 'normal' peloric flowers the lateral petals are modified to resemble the lip), but kind of the opposite. I have no idea whether this is an effect that has been bred in to the plants to create a fuller flower or if it is simply a sport of one flower that has been artificially propagated by meristem. There appear to be a few of these on the market; I've seen a few grossly overpriced plants in garden centres and the like. There is actually no reason for them to be any more expensive, they are just as easily propagated as any other fancy Phalaenopsis. I can't find a great deal of information out there on these types, but I imagine they will become increasingly common.

I asked at the nursery whether the mutation was stable and was told it is. Sometimes on peloric plants, the modified flowers can revert back to their original form and the pelorism seems to be a result of cultural practises. I once bought a so-called peloric Phalaenopsis that had cupped flowers that looked almost tulip-like. The flowers lasted for months on end an the plant then produced a second flower spike of completely normal flowers. The plant looked very odd with one spike of peloric flowers and one spike of normal ones. I don't know what happened to that plant; it was quite a few years ago now.

It is a pity with this one that the flowers aren't quite perfect. The petals are a bit raggedy round the edges and the lip isn't quite symmetrical. Also, to my eye at least, the colour is a bit dirty. I know, I know, I'm being very critical. If I find a better one at a price I'm willing to pay, I'll probably invest in another one.

On a more positive note, it seems almost perpetually blooming, its quite pretty (from a distance) and its slightly unusual. It also seems a vigorous grower with a nice upright habit (quite often Phalaenopsis have a tendency to lean to the side and eventually climb out of the pot).

You can't really tell from this photo but this plant has at least ten leaves which is a substantial amount for a Phalaenopsis. Also, the roots tend to stay inside the pot so the plant stays tidy. All in all it appears a good plant. My criticisms of it are minor, really.

UPDATE - According to the oracle that is Google, these types are the result of a Taiwanese breeding program and are called 'Big Foot' Phalaenopsis. It seems it is still early days and my plant looks like a pretty poor example compared to some of the photos I saw. I look forward to seeing more of them in the next few years.