orchiddoc

Uncommon Female Orchid – UFO #3

Mar 082016

In this post, the orchids are uncommon because of an uncommon feature of ridgeforms. Below are two examples of what I believe to be the outer ranges of shapes of ridgeforms. Most types of ridgeforms tend to be elongated and narrow, but there are also uncommon ridgeforms that do not follow this pattern.

In example 1, the right labium is fused with a ridgeform that is elongated, but is very thin, almost like a flap that could cover the right labium in the closed position or natural state.

In example 2, the left labium has a ridgeform that is not elongated, but short, thick and bulbous.

Both examples illustrate the range of variation in ridgeforms.

Do you have images of an uncommon orchid feature? Send them to me at Contact and I will post them on this blog if they qualify as uncommon.

Uncommon Female Orchid – UFO #2

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Feb 202016

The over arching theme of this orchid example is the demonstration of what constitutes the labium versus a ridgeform, and an uncommon example of a specific ridgeform.

From the larger perspective, this is a moonlight type orchid (princess complex due to being bifurcated and having many ridgeforms). This orchid is also asymmetrical (not a mirror image). View the two images below.

One of the many problems the Female Orchid Classification System (FOCS) solves is when is a labium a labium, or something else. If we were to rely solely on anatomical terminology, the example above would be confounding using just the words labium and hood. What FOCS identifies as 1 – Ridgeform above, in anatomical terminology is either clitoral tissue, or perhaps incorrectly part of the hood, or also incorrectly, all labium.

In FOCS and this example, the fusion point determines where 1 – Ridgeform and the right labium transition into all labium, below the fusion point. This can be determined in the example because the orchid view is from the lingual perspective. If the perspective was from the buccal side (not shown), the best that could be said is that the ridgeform transitions into labium at some undetermined point.

Which brings us to what makes this orchid uncommon: the 2 – Ridgeform shown in the example. Most commonly, ridgeforms occur outside the labia and may or may not fuse with the labium on the buccal side. For this orchid, 2 – Ridgeform originates and fuses (on the lingual side) with the right labium and is part of a continuous type of labia extent.

Do you have images of an uncommon orchid feature? Send them to me at Contact and I will post them on this blog if they qualify as uncommon.

Uncommon Female Orchid – UFO #1

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Jan 272016

Welcome to the first post of Uncommon Female Orchids (UFO’s). In this context, uncommon means lower frequency occurrence, versus common, meaning a higher frequency occurrence.

The intent of this blog section is to detail and explain uncommon (low frequency) occurrences of certain orchid types or features.

Periodically, I’ll post a UFO feature with a short explanation and links (red underline) to the appropriate section of the Female Orchid Classification System (FOCS) for more common variations of that occurrence as a comparison.

Visitors may leave comments or ask questions.

Below is the first post of UFO #1 where I have recently identified an uncommon feature. It is a variation of the Labia Extent feature which has common occurrence types of 1) continuous 2) open ended 3) segmented and 4) partial.

Generally, these 4 features are mutually exclusive (until now). For example, if the labia are continuous, it cannot be open-ended, segmented or partial at the same time. The first orchid image below has a Labia Extent of both partial and segmented. This is the only instance of this feature that I have identified to date.

Also, the segmentation of labium prime is uncommon with an example shown in image 2 below. This orchid is designated as Labia Extent – segmented. The more common cases of segmented labia are where the segmentation occurs on the labia lesser.

Do you have images of an uncommon orchid feature? Send them to me at Contact and I will post them on this blog if they qualify as uncommon.