Phalaenopsis besseae

The spendid looking species P. besseae is a living proof that large orchids with showy flowers can be discovered in the wild even today . It was first found in Tarpato ,Peru ,but not until 1981 . The discovered plants were transported in a non-blooming state to the U.S.A where they all produced ,to every one's big surprise ,shiny red flowers! Until that time ,this color was unheard of in American Venu's shoes . Unfortunately ,information about the location of the habitat leaked out and the specimens that occured there were totally ravaged .Luckily ,P. besseae (whose flowers were slighly more orange ) was later also discovered in Ecuador . By now,the species has been propagated in sufficient numbers from seeds and it is no longer threatened with extinction . Several color mutations are known to exist,such as orange ,yellow(var.flava) and many transitory variations ; still ,the orginal shiny red form is unbeatable in appearance . The cultivation rules do not differ substantially from those of other representatives of the genus .