The Orchid Genus With Showy Rose-Purple or White Flowers

Cypripedium

• Cypripedium is commonly known as the lady slipper or moccasin flower genus. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, lady slippers are native to almost all of North America. Many of the species naturally grow in forests or swampy areas. Their labellum takes on a distinctive pouch formation. The species Cypripedium acaule is known as the pink lady slipper. Its got a pink pouch with its other petals being purplish brown; this species can grow over a foot tall. Another species of this genus, Cypripedium arietinum, or the ram's head lady slipper, also grows naturally in the woods. It may grow just as tall as the pink lady slipper. Its pouch has a band of white followed by a band of purplish red, whereas its petals are a darker purple.

Platanthera

• The Platanthera genus, commonly known as the fringed or bog orchids, also comprises species native to North America that grow in the wild. The lesser purple fringed orchid (Plantanthera psycodes) can be found growing in wet soil of meadows and forests. It can grow up to 5 feet tall. The purple to rose blossoms form long, dense clusters of flowers along the top third of the stalk; the flower labellums are fringed. Platanthera blephariglottis, commonly known as the white fringed orchid, does not have any traces of purple to rose. Its elongated cluster of drooping flowers is pure white.

Dendrobium

• While species of the Dendrobium genus are not native to North America, they are one of the common orchids grown as house plants. Many of the Dendrobium species have petals and sepals that spread out in an astral fashion, but there are some exceptions. Examples of species in this genus that have rose to purple or white flowers are Dendrobium bigibbum (the two-humped Dendrobium) and Dendrobium aphyllum (the leafless Dendrobium). The two-humped Dendrobium has two violet or pinkish purple rounded petals, one petal of the same color curled into a lip form, and white to light pink sepals. As the name suggests, the leafless Dendrobium has long stalks of flowers without leaves -- the leaves are on a separate portion of the stalks. Flowers range from white, pink to faint purple. In tropical regions, leafless Dendrobium can be seen growing and dangling from trees.

Phalaenopsis

• Another non-native orchid genus, but found growing inside North American homes, is Phalaenopsis, known as the moth orchid genus. Of all the genera, this is one of the most recognizable. Its petals, including the labellum, and sepals are arranged to form bilateral symmetry, meaning that if you were to draw a line from the top to bottom of the flower, it would be symmetrical on either side of the plane. The species and hybrids of Phalaenopsis are numerous and many have pink to purple and white color patterns. For example, the "Sogo Kitty" cultivar has white amid the exterior of its petals and light purple toward the center; the lip is yellow with pink spots. Phalaenopsis bellina has crisp white petals with a rich pink to violet shade in the center and a bright yellow central column.