Walk into any florist’s shop, garden center, or DIY store, and chances are there’s a Phalaenopsis orchid somewhere near the counter. White, pink, purple—you know the usual suspects. So to find one that really stands out from the crowd, the incidental consumer's must-have is rare. But that’s exactly what Anthura decided to tackle head-on with the launch of Sunca®—a new Phalaenopsis line that marries an ultra-bright yellow lip with petals in various colors, shades, and hues, solving one of the trickier puzzles in orchid breeding.
Robert Kuijf, Product Manager Orchids at Anthura, the world's biggest breeder of Phalaenopsis, digs into how this series came to be, including where the catchy name comes from, and what makes it more than just another pretty face on the shelf or in your home.
Cracking the Code to Create Phalaenopsis Sunca
So, yellow lip + pink petals sounds simple, right? Not quite. Not even for a breeder that is the absolute world market leader in this segment, responsible for a quarter of all Phalaenopsis in the world, and about fifty percent in Europe alone!
"As a breeder, we always search for this new variety that has the X-factor, one that captures instantly. About ten years ago, we found the way to create a Phalaenopsis with a bright yellow lip, almost fluorescent. We managed to get this really unique feature into our process of producing new Phalaenopsis varieties, starting with a pink-flowered novelty. This means an innovation in a rather large product segment."
The result now has a name: Sunca: stable, consistent, and commercially viable. It’s not just about the color anymore—it’s about making sure that color performs from greenhouse to living room.
A Technical Breakthrough With Commercial Bite
Let’s be honest—florists are always looking for something new to surprise their customers. And here’s where Sunca stands out. It’s not a wild explosion of color, but a carefully calculated contrast that somehow feels both fresh and familiar. Pink petals set against a sunny yellow lip create a highly effective visual pop. That lip is a real attention-grabber without shouting over the rest of the flower, with a color that evokes the mesmerizing warm glow of sunrise and sunset.
“Retailers need shelf impact,” says Robert. “You’ve got seconds to catch someone’s eye.” Sunca does exactly that, and thanks to its sturdy genetic build, it keeps doing it long after it leaves the greenhouse. "It's for everybody who wants to take that holiday feeling back home."
From a production angle, this also means fewer losses and a more predictable crop. Growers working in 9 to 12 cm pots—whether in Europe, Asia, or Latin America—have reported strong flowering behavior, reliable uniformity, and decent transport performance.
Why Now? And Why ‘Sunca’?
Timing plays a big role in any launch, especially with something that breaks the mold. According to Robert, Anthura had been working on the concept for years but wanted to be sure the product would hold up across climates and production systems. The market was ready for something warm, optimistic, and different—but not too different.
And the name? "People who know Anthura will have noticed we use a lot of city names for varieties. We always choose names that are easy to pronounce across different markets and that tie into the story of the variety,” Robert says. "I was on a wonderful holiday in Croatia and took back this idea of using Croatian city names for new varieties, when a colleague pointed me to the fact that the Croatian word for 'sun' is 'sunce', which we immediately adapted for our new 'Sunca' product line of sunny-hearted Phalaenopsis to create this holiday-feeling also with the buyer of this plant."
The Sunca Assortment (So Far, and Sooo Good!)
You will be surprised how diverse the Sunca range is already. Although the common denominator is the bright yellow lip, which is truly its USP, and furthermore, its longevity, the flowers that bloom around it on the 2 or 3 branches are quite distinct from each other.
The first Sunca that saw the light of day was the Sunca Split, a big-headed orchid with pink flowers and a warm yellow lip. This beautiful Phalaenopsis is named after the city of Split in Croatia, which is known for its colorful buildings and beautiful sunsets. Sunca Split has a pot size of 12cm and has an excellent shelf life of over 16 weeks. Sunca Split is already in production worldwide. Looking to get them? Try grower Stolk Flora.
The compact and floriferous Sunca Pula brings the sun into your home with its pink flowers and a warm yellow lip. This beautiful Phalaenopsis is named after the Croatian city of Pula, known for its ancient Roman buildings. Sunca Pula has a pot size of 9 or 12 cm, and a compact height of 45 cm that blooms profusely with 7 cm wide flowers. With a shelf life of 13 weeks, you can enjoy this little ray of sunshine for an extended period. Two growers that have Pula are Opti-Flor and Stolk Flora.
Zagreb is the capital of Croatia, so a stunner is necessary. So, here is the Sunca Zagreb with its remarkable spotted white-purple petals surrounding the bright yellow lip. Just ike the Sunca Split, this variety has a pot size of 12cm, will grow to a height of 60cm, and has a shelf life of at least 16 weeks.
Fourth in the series is Sunca Zadar, a variety that is huing from white to lilac all over its petals that surround, you know already, a fiery yellow lip. The colors reflect the laid-back holiday atmosphere of the most ancient city of Croatia. Zadar is grown in a 12 cm pot.
The Sunca line won’t stop with one variety. Robert hinted that several siblings are in the pipeline—variations that stick with the yellow lip theme but explore other petal tones. Think softer pastels or more contrast-heavy combos, all building on the same genetic base.
“This isn’t a one-hit wonder,” he says. “We’re setting it up as a series.” That means florists can eventually offer a small collection around the Sunca concept, perfect for thematic designs, gift sets, or seasonal displays.
What’s in It for Florists?
You know how tricky it can be to keep your orchid game fresh without falling into gimmicks. The Sunca line gives you something that feels fresh without being fussy. The yellow-pink pairing plays well with a lot of design themes—think summer weddings, baby showers, or sunny spring compositions.
And because the variety is stable, you’re not going to end up with a batch that browns early or loses its punch after a week in a display. That kind of reliability makes all the difference when you want to have a happy (returning!) customer who recognizes (your) quality and style.
Plus, Sunca gives you a sunny story to tell. "This is a new variety bred to do something no other orchid has done yet." That sentence alone is often enough to make someone pause—and maybe even walk out with an extra plant.
Anthura’s Bigger Picture
If you’ve been in the industry for a while, the name Anthura® probably rings a bell. Based in Bleiswijk, the Dutch breeder has been at this since before most of us were born—over 85 years and counting. They’re not just big; they’re precise. Everything from color development to disease resistance is monitored down to the last detail in their global R&D network.
Every year, they supply more than 700 varieties of young plants to growers in more than 70 countries on 5 continents, and their fingerprint is all over the orchids you see on the market today. With Sunca, they’re adding a new chapter to a breeding book that’s already pretty full.
And let’s not forget—they’re already planning ahead. “We want to keep leading in color innovation,” Robert says. “And lip color is still a frontier.” It’s a subtle feature, often overlooked, but once you start noticing it, you realize how much it changes the expression of the flower.
A Sunny Outlook
The takeaway? Sunca is more than a nice new flower. It’s a deliberate answer to a gap in the market, built with global growers in mind and a wink to florists who want a bit more color flexibility. Anthura didn’t just chase a new shade—they built a whole line around making that shade work. Robert Kuijf concludes: "Sunca is truly unique; a line with a stunning, contrast-rich color palette, recognizable by a bright yellow lip in the middle, and surrounded by radiant, diverse shades that give a warm, summery feeling."
Whether you’re designing a table piece or just refreshing your orchid corner, the yellow-lipped Sunca gives you something new to play with—and something solid to rely on. Keep an eye on this one. It might just brighten up more than your shelf or home.
