Phalaenopsis difformis - Brown Moth Orchid

Brown Moth Orchid is a small sized, tree-dwelling orchid with a short stem carrying 5, obliquely lanceshaped to oblong, tapering, fleshy leaves. The plant blooms in the spring and early summer and again in the winter on an in leaf-axils, round, arching to drooping, basally 1 to 2 branching, up to 45 cm long, successively many flowered inflorescence that is as long or longer than the leaves. It has small, narrow, pale brown floral bracts and small to medium-sized, non fragrant, absolutely different and interesting flowers that open widely. The yellow to green, oblong petals are smaller and narrower than sepals, both are slightly recurved and usually have several red-brown, longitudinal stripes. The dark maroon, trilobed lip (shortly clawed) is spurred (massive, recurved spur) from the distal part of the hypochile; epichile trilobed, margin fringed with hairs or crenulate disk with a purple-red, long soft haired callus centrally and a small callus on the back of the spur entrance. The flowers have a small, fleshy, footless purple-brown column with a flat anther cap. Brown Moth Orchid is found in Himalaya to S. China and SE Asia, at altitudes of 300-2100 m.