''Phalaenopsis philippinensis'' is an

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

found from

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

island in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Description

''Phalaenopsis philipipinensis'' is a pendent epiphyte. The leaves are oblong-elliptic to oblong-oblanceolate, tapered to the base, obtuse-rounded. The upper surface is dark green overlain with silvery gray marbling, while the lower surface is dark purple. Inflorescences are described as laxly arching-pendent panicles (up to 120 cm long) with floral bracts that are minute and triangular (up to 8mm long). Flowers are delicate and membranous. Mature plants can have more than 100 flowers. The petals are white with pale pink suffusion. The lateral sepals have dark red spots at the base. The white lip is accompanied by dark yellow lateral lobes with dark red stripes at the base. The dorsal sepal is elliptic to elliptic-ovate and obtuse-rounded. The lateral sepals are obliquely ovate, sub-acute and divergent. Petals are rhomboid, cuneate-clawed, obtuse and broadly rounded. The lip is three-lobed. The lateral lobes are elliptic-obovate, obtuse-rounded and erect-incurved forming a cylinder. The mid-lobe is oblong-ovate with the base hastate to subauriculate. The apex is notched with the lanceolate lobules elongate and recurved. The callus is uniseriate, peltate, channeled with the posterior edge extended in a pair of wing-like teeth. This showy species has only recently been described. When first published (Golamco 1984), the name was invalid because no Latin diagnosis or description accompanied the English description and the binomial combination was not explicitly cited. These oversights were corrected by Fowlie and Tang.Tharp, A. G., J. A. Fowlie, and C. Z. Tang. "A recently described Phalaenopsis species from the Philippines: Phalaenopsis philippinensis Golamco ex Fowl. and Tang, CZ." ''The Orchid digest (USA)'' (1987). When ''P. philippinensis'' was first discovered and brought into cultivation, it was confused with the similar P. x leucorrhoda. The richly marked leaves and the pure yellow lateral lobes of the lip have made it a very desirable species. Like the closely related ''P. schilleriana'' and ''P. stuartiana'', ''P. philippinensis'' tends to open all the flowers on an inflorescence quickly. Having all flowers open at once makes it a particularly excellent display plant. This quality of producing a massive display of flowers is dominant in its hybrids.

Habitat

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

shade plant, ''Phalaenopsis philippinensis'' is found in the wilderness in the dampness of the lower portions of the forest, protected from direct sunlight by the thick forest

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

. It grows on tree trunks with abundant

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

from which its

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...

s extract nutrients.

Range

It is

to the Sierra Madre forest in Northeastern Luzon.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1599747 philippinensis Endemic orchids of the Philippines Flora of Luzon Epiphytic orchids