Flower colour of Calanthe sylvatica is whitish mauve to lilac, fading to apricot or a shade of buff; thus remaining about as attractive as before. When the corolla is bruised some turquoise-blue colouring may also appear.

The spreading lateral petals may not be as attractive as the three sepals behind them, but jealousy doesn’t enter this world: as long as the pollinators will arrive, all is well.

The corolla in picture has a fleshy shine from the glistening of surface cells still present, although the flower colour already indicates the onset of fading (Pooley, 1998; JSTOR; Wikipedia).