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==Pollination and reproduction==
Pollination of ''Phalaenopsis pulcherrima'' through bees, specifically ''Amegilla nigritar'', has been recorded in China.<ref>
Unlike most other angiosperms, the development of the [[Ovule|ovules]] is triggered by [[pollination]]. Therefore a temporal mismatch of male and female [[Gamete|gametes]] exists (i.e. the male structures are ready but the female structures have not yet been fully developed). In orchids [[fertilisation]] occurs within days or months after the pollination event. After pollination occurs the [[Stigma (botany)|stigmatic cavity]] is often closed through swelling of the [[Column (botany)|column]]. As a result the [[Pollinium|pollinia]] are completely enclosed. The pollen germinates after enclosure and tubes are produced. In ''[[Phalaenopsis aphrodite]]'' pollen tubes entered the ovary within 3 days after pollination. Within 15 days pollen tubes evenly spread throughout the [[Placentation|placental]] cavities. Within 60 days after the pollination event 30.6 % of the tips of the pollen tubes started to enter the micropyles (i.e. entry points) of the ovules. Finally, 65 to 70 days after the pollination event, fertilisation occurred.<ref>
''Phalaenopsis'' are unique in that in some species of the subgenus ''Polychilos'', the flowers turn into green leaves after pollination. As in many other plants, the petals of the orchid flowers serve to attract pollinating insects and protect essential organs. Following pollination, petals usually will undergo [[senescence]] (i.e. wilt and disintegrate) because it is metabolically expensive to maintain them. However, in many ''Phalaenopsis'' species, such as ''P. violacea'', the petals and sepals find new uses following pollination, thus escaping [[programmed cell death]]. In producing [[chloroplast]]s, they turn green, become fleshy, and start to photosynthesize, as leaves do.<ref name="plant programmed cell death">{{cite journal | author=Wouter G. van Doorn| title=Plant programmed cell death and the point of no return| journal=Trends in Plant Science| date=October 2005| volume=10| issue=10| doi= 10.1016/j.tplants.2005.08.003| pages=478–483 | pmid=16153879}}</ref>
==Phytochemistry==
Floral fragrance has been analysed for several species. The fragrance of ''[[Phalaenopsis bellina]]'' has been shown to be composed of about 79 compounds, primarily of the [[terpenoid]] class. It was most intense in the morning.<ref>
In ''Phalaenopsis'', [[phenylpropanoid]] enzymes are enhanced in the process of plant [[acclimatisation]] at different levels of [[photosynthesis|photosynthetic]] photon flux.<ref>
==Use in horticulture==
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It previously was believed that flowering is triggered by a night-time drop in temperature of around 5 to 6 degrees over two to four consecutive weeks, usually in the fall, and a day-time drop in temperature to below {{convert|29|°C|0}}. Using two ''Phalaenopsis'' clones, Matthew G. Blanchard and Erik S. Runkle (2006) established that, other culture conditions being optimal, flower initiation is controlled by daytime temperatures declining below {{convert|27|°C|0}}, with a definite inhibition of flowering at temperatures exceeding {{convert|29|°C|0}}. The long-held belief that reduced evening temperatures control flower initiation in ''Phalaenopsis'' was shown to be false. Rather, lower daytime temperatures influence flowering, while night time temperatures do not appear to have any effect.<ref name="Phalaenopsis">{{cite journal |author1=Blanchard, Matthew G |author2=Runkle, Erik S | title=Temperature during the day, but not during the night, controls flowering of Phalaenopsis orchids| journal=Journal of Experimental Botany| year=2006| volume=57| issue=15| pages=4043–4050 | doi=10.1093/jxb/erl176 | pmid=17075080| doi-access=free}}</ref>
The effect of fertilizer source and medium composition on vegetative growth and mineral nutrition has been studied.<ref name="ashs">{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Yin-Tung |last2=Konow |first2=Elise A. |title=Fertilizer Source and Medium Composition Affect Vegetative Growth and Mineral Nutrition of a Hybrid Moth Orchid |journal=
===Award of Garden Merit===
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