Orchid (color)

Orchid is a bright rich purple color that resembles the color of some orchids.  

Various tones of orchid may range from grayish purple to purplish-pink to strong reddish purple.

The first written use of orchid as a color name in English was in 1915.Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 200; Color Sample of Orchid: Page 105 Plate 41 Color Sample F5

In 1987, orchid was included as one of the X11 colors.  After the invention of the world wide web in 1991, these became known as the X11 web colors.

 Where the name comes from 
The name comes from the flowers of some species of the vast orchid family (Orchidaceae), such as Laelia furfuracea and Ascocentrum pusillum, which have petals of this color.

The word Orchid derives from the Greek word orchis which means testicle, after the appearance of the roots of plants of the genus Orchis.
Meaning of orchid
 The orchid ribbon represents testicular cancer awareness.  

Tones of orchid color comparison chart
NameColorHEX CodeRedGreenBlueHueSatLumSourceOrchid Ice#DFD2DF223210222300°17%85%(Pantone TPX 13-3406)Orchid Pink#F2BDCD242189205342°67%85%(Pantone TPX 13-2010)Light Orchid#E6A8D7230168215315°55%78%(Orchid(Crayola))Rich Orchid Pink#E68CD2230140210313°64%73%Light Medium Orchid#D39BCB211155203309°39%72%(Orchid (Pantone TPX-15-3214))Deep Orchid Pink#D597AE213151174338°42%71%(Orchid Pink (ISCC-NBS #250))Wild Orchid#D770A2215112162331°56%64%(Pantone TPX 16-2120)Vivid Orchid Pink#DF63E622399230297°72%65%Orchid#DA70D6218112214302°59%65%(web color)Rich Orchid#DF33EA21156234296°81%56%Vivid Orchid#CC00FF2040255288°100%50%Orchid (Crayola colored pencils)Strong Orchid#C316E919522233289°83%50%Medium Orchid#BA55D318685211288°59%58%(web color)Orchid Mauve#C17E91193126145343°35%63%(ISCC-NBS #251)Orchid Mist#C3A6B1195166177337°19%71%(ISCC-NBS #253)Mauve Orchid#B37E9A179126154328°26%60%(Pantone TPX 16-2111)Radiant Orchid#B163A317799163311°33%54%(Pantone TPX 18-3224)Purple Orchid#AE4F9317479147311°33%54%(Pantone TPX 18-3027)Dark Orchid#9932CC15350204280°61%50%(web color)Deep Orchid#94417B14865123318°39%42%(Pantone TPX 18-3022)Dusky Orchid#9C7687156118135333°16%54%(Pantone TPX 17-1610)Orchid Gray#796878121104120304°8%44%(ISCC-NBS #228)

Related pages
List of colors

References