--- title: "Phalaenopsis amabilis (moon orchid): names, subspecies, distribution and historic plates | Floreboard" url: https://floreboard.com/en/plants/phalaenopsis-amabilis/ language: en last_reviewed: 2026-10-10 publisher: Floreboard (芳华绘) --- Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 4297 · 1847 · Walter Hood Fitch · public domain # Phalaenopsis amabilis (L.) Blume Moon orchid · Orchidaceae - **Accepted name:** Phalaenopsis amabilis (L.) Blume - **Published (this combination):** Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 294 (1825) - **Basionym:** Epidendrum amabile L., Sp. Pl.: 953 (1753) - **Genus:** [Phalaenopsis](https://floreboard.com/en/plants/phalaenopsis/) Blume · Orchidaceae - **Common names:** moon orchid - **Native range:** Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Maluku, New Guinea, Philippines, Queensland, Sulawesi, Sumatera - **Subspecies:** 3 - **Databases:** [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:650501-1) · [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/n/650501-1) · [WCVP](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232/taxon/151132) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/4FR2J) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/5311007) ## Identification Typical flowers of P. amabilis are white with broad petals, the details of the lip standing out against the pure white petals. It should be kept apart from the similar P. aphrodite: both contributed to large white hybrids, and telling them apart needs the lip, the column and the provenance of the plant; a photograph of a white flower cannot show which one it is. ## Name history The name goes back to Epidendrum amabile, published by Linnaeus in 1753; in 1825 Blume transferred it to Phalaenopsis. The author citation records this: the name in parentheses is the original author, the one outside made the new combination. The table lists the homotypic synonyms in WCVP with their places of publication. | Name | Published in | | --- | --- | | Phalaenopsis amabilis (L.) Blume | Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 294 (1825) | | Cymbidium amabile (L.) Roxb. | Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 3: 457 (1832) | | Epidendrum amabile L. | Sp. Pl.: 953 (1753) | | Synadena amabilis (L.) Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 9 (1838) | ## Subspecies WCVP accepts the following subspecies. Many historical names sit under them: Phalaenopsis grandiflora, common in the florilegia, is now a synonym of subsp. amabilis. | Subspecies | Published in | Native range | Synonyms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Phalaenopsis amabilis subsp. amabilis | autonym | Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera | 23Phalaenopsis amabilis f. aurea (R.Warner) O.GrussPhalaenopsis amabilis f. concolor Baume & ChristensonPhalaenopsis amabilis f. elysia O.GrussPhalaenopsis amabilis f. fuscata (Rchb.f.) O.Gruss & M.WolffPhalaenopsis amabilis subvar. gloriosa (Rchb.f.) AmesPhalaenopsis amabilis var. aurea (R.Warner) RolfePhalaenopsis amabilis var. fournieri Cogn.Phalaenopsis amabilis var. fuscata Rchb.f.Phalaenopsis amabilis var. gloriosa (Rchb.f.) BreroPhalaenopsis amabilis var. grandiflora (Lindl.) BatemanPhalaenopsis amabilis var. ramosa van DeventerPhalaenopsis amabilis var. rimestadiana L.LindenPhalaenopsis amabilis var. rimestadiana-alba Anon.Phalaenopsis aphrodite var. gloriosa (Rchb.f.) A.H.KentPhalaenopsis elisabethae Anon.Phalaenopsis gloriosa Rchb.f.Phalaenopsis grandiflora Lindl.Phalaenopsis grandiflora var. aurea R.WarnerPhalaenopsis grandiflora var. borneensis CorningPhalaenopsis grandiflora var. fuscata (Rchb.f.) Burb.Phalaenopsis grandiflora var. gracillima Burb.Phalaenopsis grandiflora var. ruckeri Burb.Phalaenopsis rimestadiana (L.Linden) Rolfe | | Phalaenopsis amabilis subsp. moluccana (Schltr.) Christenson | Phalaenopsis: a monograph: 189 (2001) | Borneo, Maluku, Sulawesi | 3Phalaenopsis amabilis var. moluccana Schltr.Phalaenopsis amabilis var. cinerascens J.J.Sm.Phalaenopsis celebica Vlooten | | Phalaenopsis amabilis subsp. rosenstromii (F.M.Bailey) Christenson | Phalaenopsis: a monograph: 190 (2001) | Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Queensland | 3Phalaenopsis amabilis var. rosenstromii (F.M.Bailey) NichollsPhalaenopsis rosenstromii F.M.BaileyPhalaenopsis amabilis var. papuana Schltr. | ## Distribution WCVP records the species as native to 10 TDWG botanical regions. Bismarck ArchipelagoBorneoJawaLesser Sunda Is.MalukuNew GuineaPhilippinesQueenslandSulawesiSumatera ## Historic plates and the names printed on them Plates carry the name in use at the time. Using the WCVP synonymy and misapplied names, the table maps each printed name to the current species or subspecies. Printed name · sourceCurrent namePhalaenopsis amabilisCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 4297 · 1847Phalaenopsis amabilis (L.) Blume species only; no subspecies statedPhalaenopsis grandifloraCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 5184 · 1860Phalaenopsis amabilis subsp. amabilis WCVP synonym: Phalaenopsis grandiflora Lindl.Phalaenopsis grandiflora（正文）A Second Century of Orchidaceous Plants · Pl. 114 · 1867Phalaenopsis amabilis subsp. amabilis WCVP synonym: Phalaenopsis grandiflora Lindl.Phalaenopsis grandifloraThe Orchid Album · Pl. 277 · 1887Phalaenopsis amabilis subsp. amabilis WCVP synonym: Phalaenopsis grandiflora Lindl.Phalaenopsis grandiflora aureaReichenbachia: Orchids Illustrated and Described · Tab. 11 · 1888Phalaenopsis amabilis subsp. amabilis WCVP synonym: Phalaenopsis grandiflora var. aurea R.WarnerPhalaenopsis amabilis Bl.Die Orchideen von Java, Figuren-Atlas · fig. CDXVI–CDXVII · 1912Phalaenopsis amabilis (L.) Blume species only; no subspecies stated ## Horticulture and breeding The moon orchid is one of the key wild species behind large white hybrids, though breeders also used other material. Commercial white cultivars have been crossed and selected for many generations, so petal overlap, substance, flower count and habit may differ markedly from the species; buy by the grex or cultivar on the label. Wild species may differ in seasonality and needs from the usual large-flowered hybrids. ## Further reading - [Genus Phalaenopsis](https://floreboard.com/en/plants/phalaenopsis/) - [Moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) topic library (in Chinese)](https://floreboard.com/phalaenopsis/#species-amabilis) - [Flower guide](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/orchid/) - [Reference library](https://floreboard.com/en/library/) ## References - [WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232)](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232) · accessed 2026-10-19 - [Kew POWO · Phalaenopsis amabilis](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:650501-1) - [Kew POWO · Phalaenopsis aphrodite](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:650507-1) - [Griesbach 2002 · Development of Phalaenopsis Orchids for the Mass-Market](https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu02/v5-458.html) Names, places of publication, synonyms and distribution checked against WCVP (2026-10-19); the text follows the cited sources and awaits specialist review.