Kibana Furan 黄花風蘭

Description

Neofinetia falcata Kibana furan (“Yellow Wind Orchid”) is the standard for yellow Neos.  The flowers open pale yellow and darken to a sunny yellow over the period of about a week. They have a slightly different fragrance than typical Neofinetia but the flower shape is essentially the same as a typical Neo.  Kibana has a slightly larger than average fan size characterized by dark green leaves.

Kibana is considered to be a hybrid variety of Neo meaning that somewhere in its genealogy is a non-Neo parent, probably an Ascocentrum, that conferred the yellow color to the flower.  In Japan, orchid genealogy is not what it is in the US–if it looks like a Neo, and it blooms basically like a Neo, it’s a Neo.  (The same is true for Dendrobium moniliforme, as I found out only a couple years ago.)  If you put Kibana up next to other Neos and really look at the form of the plant, though, you can detect subtle differences in structure.  Calling it a Neo is not meant to be deceiving; it is true in the tradition of Neo collecting.

For detailed instructions on growing Neos, please read my Neo Care Sheet.