neofinetia falcata

Neofinetia falcata is one of the orchids that I simply would not want to live without. The other one is Brassavola Little Stars (B. nodosa x B. cucullata).   While Little Stars blooms in the winter, Neofinetia falcata blooms in the summer. Although people vary in their opinion of the fragrance of Little Stars, none deny the appeal of the mouthwatering creamsicle fragrance of Neofinetia. It is like the best gelato from Italy. Even without this fragrance, the flowers are a joy of delicate intricacy. They remind me of a white ginger lei that I once bought in Hawaii, the long flower tubes looped and linked in an intricate and wonderfully fragrant chain.

Neofinetia is also easy to grow. Although it is said to prefer intermediate to cool temperatures, mine have done well despite the warm summers of New Mexico, with little indoor cooling. It does prefer bright light, similar to a Cattleya, and performs much better with adequate humidity.  Native to Japan, China and Korea, Neofinetia falcata is also known as the "Wind Orchid" or the "Japanese Wind Orchid." There, it is loved so much, that many cultivars exist, even though there is only one species in this genus. Similar to Cymbidium ensifolium, there are variegated cultivars and variations in leaf from "bean" types, to sword-like. Flowers are typically white, but there are pink cultivars as well. The more rare varieties can be very expensive,  hundreds of dollars for a single division.

Plants are small enough for a windowsill, and form clumps, which makes them easy to handle.  This plant is 14 inches across and 6 inches tall. From this view from above, you can see that the plant very considerately produces flower all around the plant, and in such numbers that the fragrance is the essence of joy itself.