2 of 4 open.
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2 of 4 open.
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That is a very dark coloured mannii. WOW

Agreed with Geoff. The first thing that came out of my mind was; so beautiful that it looks poisonous! Beauty can be dangerous![]()
All 4 buds open.
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Funny, Phal mannii was my very first Phalaenopsis back in the mid 1970s. In fact it was my first orchid that had a name. It didn't look like this though. This one looks like a leopard or something. At the time when I got my mannii I had told my very understanding mother to get me a yellow Phalaenopsis so she phoned a big breeder in southern Sweden and asked for a yellow species Phalaenopsis. That's how it it all started with me growing almost only species until today.

Wow!!. Looks very nice.
Great, congratulations, great cultivation
Thanks all for your comments!
Geoff, in case you aren't aware of it, Holger apparently had a heart attack and died within the last few weeks.
No that is news to me - very sad news, very bad news... I was looking forward to going with him on one of his botanical tours next year - he promised me blue poppies and all sorts of other wonderful things...
I must send my condolences to his wife - we had a very long natter at the South African World Orchid Conference, on a quiet day when all the other visitors had gone off somewhere, and renewed acquaintance at the London European Conference a year or two later, when they had some trouble getting accepted as exhibitors, and I pulled a few strings with the RHS to get them in. They are/were both very knowledgable about the orchids of Yunnan, they will be a great loss if she gives up the nursery.