Aerides sp - which ?

[Halloamey]

Geoff the latin description definitely has to be taken with a pinch of salt in this case. None of the Aerides crassifolia that I have seen, in my friends collection, or the ones growing in the wild in NE. India/Burma have leaves like a succulent per say. They are thick and fleshy like most other Aerides in my opinion. Apart from that foliage has and is never considered as a major key for systematics as variable growth conditions will significantly alter vegetative organs.

The problem with the suggestion of crassifolia ( not crassifolium as I probably said, not having stopped to think that an" ium" ending for the specific part only follows he use of the same ending in the genus name ) is what that name means - foliage similar to plants in the crassulaceae - which is a succulent genus. Hence the IOSPE description of "thick, rigid, leaves".
I have maybe a dozen Aerides plants ( apart from recently purchased known modern hybrids ) all of which are more or less different in significant respects, and which carry half a dozen different species names - none of which has succulent foliage, including the one now shown here. ( So I don't have A.crassifolia ).
It seems to me that the genus is overdue for a revision, and the production of an useful key . I only wish my botanical training ( apart from other commitments ) permitted me to undertake it.In the meantime I shall continue to post pics hoping for useful comments.

[wonderlen]

Your plant is Aed. crassifolia for sure. I came from Myanmar (Burma) and back home, every orchidmania home has some kind of Aerides specie, mostly crassifolia, multiflora, rosea and odorata in their collection. All the crassifolia i seen has flower which are more open and both the petal and sepals always reflex backward, but your plant and leaves are typical of crassifolia.

Only Aed. crassifolia and multiflora and some clones of huelletiana has succulent leaf. Aed. odorata, falcata, lawrenceanum and flabellata has similar floppy strappy leaf, with flabellata having the smallest in term of growth and leaf size. Aed. rosea has growth simialr Rhy. coelestics. Not familiar with Indian specie like crispum and macusolum.

[Roy]

Nothing like Aer. crassifolia, too many flowers, wrong flower shape & the lip is totally incorrect.

[Halloamey]

Roy are you sure you have the right crassifolia I agree the lip does not look correct in these photos, but I simply think that the flowers have to completely open up and or it is due to the growth condition. The markings on the sidelobes of the lip are very characteristic.

Nothing like Aer. crassifolia, too many flowers, wrong flower shape & the lip is totally incorrect.

[Roy]

All the crassifolia plants flowered here have far fewer flowers than this one, much more spacing between them & open up completely, much like the pic BD posted. This one has more the multiflora/rosea style, I believe either is a parent of this. As I mentioned, the lip one this one is pushed upwards toward the dorsal, like its had a punch in the nose, crassifolia is flatish & points down.

[Roy]

I knew if I kept looking long enough I would find it. Aerides Jack Webster = quinquevulnera x rosea. If these pics aren't near exact to your plant Geoff, nothing will.

[Dorsetman]

It has the features of 2 Aerides to me, one being Aer. rosea & the other Aer. quinquevulnera = Aer. Jack Webster.
I can't find a pic of JW to confirm it. The cross was done by Motes Orchids. I believe its a primary hybrid because no single Aerides species individually have this flowers characteristics.

C;early there is much difficulty in identifying Aerides species , and we seem to lack (?) any recent authorative work on the subject. Books on many genera - Cattleyas, Coelogynes, Angraecums etc - but Aerides , no, If I'm wrong, please enlighten me, anyone !.
But as to my plant being a Motes hybrid - ulikely. They are like hens teeth in Europe (CITES, Dollar/Euro or Dollar/£ exchange rates, etc etc). In fact lots of orchids commonplace around the Pacific including USA and probably Australia are hard to find in UK/Europe ( try asking for Sarcochilus - its now a forgotten genus - and hybrids ? Do they exist ? ).
No, I think that what is often overloked by eben experienced growers in orchid lands, is that Aerides odorata in particular is endemic to a quite enormous stretch of the world - stretching( without exaggeration to millions of square miles ; of course it isn't found in every one of them (!) but this must mean that there is enormous variation, and maybe if and when the lads at Kew get their teeth into the DNA we will be told that half of the supposed Aerides species are all one and the same thing....In the meantime, perhaps I will just leave the original labels on !

[Roy]

I understand your concern Geoff. The plant in these pics was from a cross done here in Australia by a friend of mine. Not a Motes plant.