Phalaenopsis equestris is a plant

Plant

Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

 of the orchid genus Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis Blume , abbreviated Phal in the horticultural trade, is an orchid genus of approximately 60 species. Phalaenopsis is one of the most popular orchids in the trade, through the development of many artificial hybrids....

and native to Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 and Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

. The inflorescence

Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

 has 10 to 15 flowers of about 25 mm (1 in) diameter.

Phaleonopsis equestris plays an important role in the development of novelty species and it is frequently used to cross with other hybrids. It has become an important commodity in the international floral trade.

This species is highly variable in morphology as well in the color of its flowers. The following forms occur :

• Phalaenopsis equestris var. alba — a pure white form; lacking yellow pigments on the callus.
• Phalaenopsis equestris var. aurea — white flowers with a solid yellow lip.
• Phalaenopsis equestris var. rosea— flowers with even red petals and sepals; color of the mid-lobe of the lip varies from deep red to light red.
• Phalaenopsis equestris var. leucaspis — small flowers with white edges on pink petals and sepals; mid-lobe of the lip is purple or orange in color with white or yellow callus.

The different colors on the lip are obtained through a different expression of both anthocyanin

Anthocyanin

Anthocyanins are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that may appear red, purple, or blue according to pH...

s and carotenoid

Carotenoid

Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...

s.