Polychilos Phalenopsis
by Ray Hocking, our member from Cornwall
You don’t keep Phalaenopsis ….why not?
So many of us started in the Hobby by getting a Supermarket Phalaenopsis as a gift but soon moved on to other species of Orchids, but let’s take another look ..some 92 species in over 9 subgenera with some 34,000 hybrids registered with the RHS. Some 30 Phalaenopsis species are fragrant but only a handful are strongly scented.
Non-scented Phalaenopsis hybrids are readily available but, sadly, finding a fragrant Specie for your collection is getting more and more difficult.
The greatest diversity of Phalaenopsis occurs in Indonesia and the Philippines. Many are highly threatened. Phal. lindenii is categorised as endangered, Phal. violacea as vulnerable, Phal. micholitzii critically endangered and Phal. javanica is extinct in the Wild . It’s now illegal to collect from the Wild in the majority of Countries but they are in collections and it’s important to keep propagating the Specie.
The sub genera that interests me most is the Polychilos ssp. After pollination petals usually wilt and die , but not with the Polychilos sub genera .The petals and sepals turn green, become fleshy and photosynthesize thus feeding the seedpod.The flower spikes will go dormant after flowering and reactivate at the tips the following season so don’t cut the flower spikes unless they go yellow. Many of us have the Phal. Liodoro hybrid in our collection , it’s 2/3rds Polychilos …Phal. deventeriana ( Phal. amboinensis x Phal amabilis ) x Phal. Violacea
My Phalaenopsis lueddemannia with seedpods…note the green, fleshy sepals and petals.
There are 10 species in this Group (providing the Taxonomists haven’t changed things)
Phal. amboinensis Phal. lueddemannia
Phal. bellina Phal. manni
Phal. cornu- cervi Phal. sumatrana
Phal. fasciata Phal. venosa
Phal. gigantea Phal. violacea
I became interested in keeping Orchids about 5 years ago. I wanted a challenge, and wanted to grow from seed but was limited in space so, I decided to concentrate on one small group. I’m getting there, half of the challenge is actually finding a plant or seedling to buy. Keeping these small to medium plants means more plants per windowsill!
I keep those in my collection no lower than 15°c in Winter and use a high percentage of Sphagnum Moss to maintain moisture and place them in indirect light.
Phalaenopsis amboinensis
From Eastern Indonesia, the Sulawesi Orchid is a protected species under the Indonesian Govt. Regulation 7/1999
With long-lasting 2-3 inch musk scented blooms and vivid red/brown stripes on a pale yellow base, it’s highly prized.
Those from the Maluku region have light yellow flowers with thin brown lines.
Found in well-shaded areas beneath a tree canopy. In the Wild the Summer temperature is 31-32°c and the Winter temperature 29-30 so they prefer a stable temperature and humidity around 70%.Use warm water about 20°c, not cold. Best considered as a hot-growing plant. This is a slow-growing species.
I’ve currently two plants ‘ in spike’ and 12 seedlings growing on from a Flask ..they were hard to find!
Phalaenopsis bellina
Endemic to Borneo and found growing in the canopy of trees where it receives abundant light and wet and dry cycles. It’s the most cultivated species in the Genus as it’s strongly scented. There are several varieties including one natural hybrid , Phal x singuliflora ( Phal. bellina x Phal. sumatrana ). I’ve found it available on one or two UK Internet website. Easy to keep.
Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi
Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi is a very widespread species, quite easy to obtain and grow. Can be mounted. It has long-lasting waxy 3-5 cm fragrant blooms and there are many hybrids and colour variations. Temperatures of 15°c at night and 20-25 daytime. I don’t have any as I have no plans for it at the moment.
Phalaenopsis fasciata
Phal. fasciata. Another native of The Philippines and usually found at low levels near rivers so it prefers to be constantly moist. Substrate must have additives of Sphagnum or perlite. It produces long lasting fleshy, waxy and fragrant 5cm blooms and 15-20 cm leaves. Another plant where using warm water is advised. I haven’t found one yet , it’s on my list !
Phalaenopsis gigantia
Phalaenopsis gigantea. We ALL know this one from the Show bench …its large leaves are over 60cm ….. and its blooms. Found in Sabah, Borneo, and Sarawak its been near extinction in its native habitat due to poaching. It’s slow growing, taking more than 4 years to first flower and it’s far from easy to grow. It’s demanding on water, it’s a heavy drinker but won’t tolerate stagnant water.It’s highly susceptible to root and leaf rot so substrate must dry quickly but Phal. gigantea doesn’t like to dry out completely. I lost my first one due to Crown rot very quickly. Prolonged temperatures below 15°c will weaken the plant. Once mature the plant will not tolerate repotting due to sensitive roots. So special care with this one.
I’ve seen small plants available online in the UK but expect to wait a few years for the first flowers.
Phalaenopsis leuddemanniana
This species confuses me …Many Phal. lueddemannia varieties were re-evaluated to Species-level and this has made past hybrid registration somewhat suspect.
Endemic to the Philippines this small to medium sized hot growing species produces 5-6cm sweetly fragrant blooms and has a habit of producing Keikis. Keep plant moist but not wet and do not allow to dry out completely.
Another Polychilos specie that’s hard to find in the UK.
Phalaenopsis manni.
A small to medium cool to warm growing pendulous species with a broad range from the Indian Himalayas through Nepal, and Bhutan to Southern China and Vietnam, in shady, humid broad-leaved evergreen forests. When mature it can produce up to seventy 3.5cm mandarin-scented blooms. Another one that’s on my list.
Phalaenopsis sumatrana.
A medium-sized warm growing fragrant species found in shaded, warm, humid areas of the lowland forests in Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay peninsula. I’ve not seen any for sale in the UK, this one was obtained from Ten Shin Orchids who brought it to the Malvern International Orchid Show for me.
An interesting snippet found whilst researching into this Species is that there is, in Sumatra, a natural hybrid, Phal x gersenii ( sumatrana x violacea ) but this hybrid will not come true from seed.
Phalaenopsis venosa
If you want a species with 4-5 cm blooms and a fragrance like ‘ crushed centipede ‘ then this is for you.
Found in Sulawesi at elevations of 450-1000 m where its habitat is wet all year round, this medium-sized warm growing epiphyte is threatened with extinction. This is another that requires a substrate that should be kept moist all-year and with good drainage. Yet another species rare in the UK. I’ve one with several spikes so will try ‘selfing ‘ this year …it may be my only chance of getting more !
And finally …Phalaenopsis violacea
Endemic to the Andaman Island, Nicobar Islands and North West Sumatra, it’s another on the list of vulnerable Orchids in the wild. Its spicy cinnamon scent on 3.5cm blooms makes this species together with Phal. bellina the two favourites to use in hybridising. This small to medium hot growing pendulous epiphyte prefers shade and humidity and should not be allowed to dry out. It can be often seen on a couple of UK websites.
In Summary ….
There are, of course, other interesting species in other Phalaenopsis sub genera.. Phal. schilleriana with its large fragrant pink blooms and mottled leaves or the delicate Phal japonica. The prolific flowering non-scented Phal. equestris is another. Out of the ordinary is the Phal. tetraspis ( syn. speciosa) with its random genes that produce fragrant blooms of red or white or a combination of both. Many of these can be grown mounted or in baskets.
A couple of websites for you to look at, I’ve had good plants from both. Spicesotics , which many of you know of and The Happy Orchid Farm … Both stock Phalaenopsis hybrids but, occasionally, a Species plant appears.
I’m sure there’s one or two more that stock these more interesting Phalaenopsis … I’ve just not found them yet !
I’m hoping to put ‘pods on plants ‘ this year and look forward to working with Lynda Coles in making some more of these ‘ interesting ‘ Phalaenopsis more available.