My Phrag Beverly Fischer is (most likely due to me being a dumbass!!) on its' last bloom. I'll try to get a photo in the sun tomorrow. This bud really matured in my conditions. This is the sixth, one bloomed before I got it, the other 5 in my care (though I missed one in February when I was away), they've all been very similar, except this one!

Anyway, all the others looked like a "hoodsie" as one person described it. Raspberry and Vanilla - All parts except the lower dorsal (what do you call that?) were quite pink, the lower dorsal, was white on all other blooms. This one is ALL bright pink! Could this be a temperature thing? Due to too hot or too cold, which? It is a really cute little plant and very bright on this last, smaller bloom. I wondered if maybe because it was so much smaller than the last bloom, maybe 1/2"-1" smaller, if the color could just be "concentrated" or something.

Well, thanks for shedding any light you can! :)

My Phrag Beverly Fischer is (most likely due to me being a dumbass!!) on its' last bloom. I'll try to get a photo in the sun tomorrow. This bud really matured in my conditions. This is the sixth, one bloomed before I got it, the other 5 in my care (though I missed one in February when I was away), they've all been very similar, except this one!


Some plants are more susceptible to this than others... Besseae hybrids are notorious for this problem. For example Hanne Popow (besseae x schlimii) Winter blooms are almost always more intensely pigmented than summer blooms (in my hands). Now, if you had several flowers open simultaneously, and they were all different colors, that would be considered to be a fault for AOS judging. We look for symmetry and consistency. But, AOS judges aren't the final arbiters of all that is good and pure. Some people like the rainbow effect. I think it is kind of neat.

It isn't just phrags. I have several dozen Sc. Crystelle Smith (two mericlones) right now. They came with the greenhouse... Even on the same plant, I get different shades of pink flowers simultaneously. Wierd... Seems like the plant is very sensitive to local conditions when the bud is developing. Two buds that open a week apart can be quite different in coloration.

Thanks, Rob. That's pretty much what I figured. Hopefully next time I won't break the spike off doing something stupid. :roll: At least it was almost done blooming anyway.

I won't break the spike off doing something stupid. :roll: At least it was almost done blooming anyway.

I just did this the other day :mad: while working in my terrarium

you get the richest red pigmentation with good strong light AND cool temperatures. the same besseae that might be an orange when it blooms in the summer under heavy shade might be almost red if it blooms in the winter. and etc for its hybrids.

I do think the pigment concentration thing you propose is a real thing though. Anecdotally I've seen it before where a smaller flower is slightly darker.

Yes, light and more importantly temperature have a very large impact on color. Crank up the light and turn down the temperature for superior red color.

In this case, since the indoor temps and coloration were constant throughout the blooming period, I would think it would be more concentration of color on this last bloom. I don't know though for sure, but it was interesting.