43 Variegated Orchids You Will Love (PICTURES)

Variegated orchids are rare beautiful gems for any orchid collection. Their leaves have intriguing patterns of different colors, giving us something to admire even when the plant is not in bloom. What’s more, the variegation differs from leaf to leaf and may change under different lighting situations and stages of growth.

In this article, we have compiled a list of 43 orchid species and hybrids with variegated foliage.

If you are looking for a unique one with pretty leaves to add to your collection, this article has what you need.

Table of Contents

Types of variegated leaf patterns in orchids

A “variegated leaf” refers to one with more than one color, which can be in a mottled pattern, in spots or patches of colors, striped, or with a border of a lighter color.

The lighter color can be yellow, white, light green or silver.

The variegated colors and patterns often vary from leaf to leaf and from plant to plant of the same species or hybrid. The color may change in different stages of growth and also in different lighting in the environment.

Since variegated orchids are rare, they are generally more expensive.

What causes variegation in orchids?

– Natural variegation

Variegation can be natural.

During cell division, cytoplasmic organelles like chloroplasts are usually split about evenly between daughter cells. But sometimes by chance one daughter cell will have no chloroplasts. The locations with a partial or complete lack of green chloroplasts will result in a lighter color. This is how spotted and striped patterns are naturally created in the leaves.

When this happens at the dividing tissue at a growth tip or at the meristem, variegation may become permanent.

Many Phalaenopsis species have naturally variegated leaves with an even distribution of spots or stripes of a lighter color. Some species (e.g. Phalaenopsis Schilleriana, Phalaeneopsis Philippinensis, Phalaenopsis Pinlong Cheris, Phalaeneopsis lindenii) have more uniform and clear markings throughout the leaves, while others (e.g. Phalaenopsis Stuartiana, Phalaenopsis Sanderiana) have less clear and uniform markings on their leaves.

– Induced variegation caused by a virus or chemical

Variegation can also be induced or provoked by viral infection or inoculating a chemical into an orchid during the germination stage. Certain chemicals can be used to kill chloroplasts to induce variegation. The result is an abnormal distribution of green chloroplasts in plants that normally have even distribution.

According to the American Orchid Society, orchids with a virus infection may result in yellow stripes in the leaves, with ringspot patterns or yellow or purplish blotches.

If you take a virused orchid for checking, many variegated species show positive for virus but seem to be asymptomatic to transmit the virus to other orchids.

If the variegation is an induced genetic mutation, they need to be cloned asexually by stem cutting to preserve the plant tissues rather than reproduced sexually by pollination.

Care for variegated orchids

Since variegation is due to a lack of chlorophyll, such orchids tend to prefer a lower light level. So they are more delicate than their normal counterparts.

More light will cause markings to appear in yellow, while less light will make them turn white.