Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Conservatory GreenhouseHouseplants

Phalaenopsis stuartiana

A medium-sized, evergreen, epiphytic orchid with semi-pendant, broadly-oval, mid-green fleshy leaves up to 35cm long and 5-9cm wide. The leaves are mottled grey-green above and purple underneath. In winter and spring, it bears branching racemes up to 1m long, carrying many white, 8cm large flowers with yellow marks and brown-red spots on the lower sepals and lip. In optimal conditions, plants are able to produce as many as a hundred, long-lasting flowers. Mounted plants will develop a more pendulous habit

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

H1A

Botanical details

Family: Orchidaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Columnar upright, Pendulous weeping
Genus: Phalaenopsis are a large genus of species and hybrid mainly epiphytic orchids. Short, upward growing, stem-like rhizomes with no pseudobulbs produce oval, fleshy mid to dark green leaves and flowers in branched racemes from the base of the leaves
Name status: Unresolved
Plant range: Philippines

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in an open bark-based orchid compost or mounted on cork bark, where sufficient humidity can be provided. Provide enough bright filtered light, but keep away from direct mid-day sunlight or heating source. Ideal temperatures are around 17°C at night and 20 - 25 °C during day. Mist aerial roots regularly and water the plant when almost dry - pale, silvery roots are a good indication when to water. Orchid fertiliser can be applied regularly throughout the season. See Phalaenopsis cultivation for more details

Propagation

Propagation by seed is only possible in controlled laboratory environment. Mature plants may produce sideshoots (keiki) which may be removed and potted separately into orchid propagation mix when the new roots are at least 2cm long

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Houseplants
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

No pruning required. Cut back green flowered stem to lower node to encourage further flowering. Remove the flowered stems once yellow and dry

Pests

May be susceptible to mealybugs, aphids and scale insects

Diseases

Generally disease-free; avoid watering centre of the leaf crown, to prevent bacterial rots

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.