Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica

Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica (Rchb.F.) Sweet, 1969. It is an orchid of the genus Phalaenopsis of the subfamily Epidendroideae of the family of the Orchidaceae. They are native to the Philippines, islands of Palawan, Luzon, and Polillo.

View of the flower

Description

As mentioned above, the Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica is an epiphytic plant. It shows a monopodial development habit. The rhizome develops erect and at its end produces two thick and fleshy alternate and elliptical leaves each year. The oldest basal leaves fall off at the same time. The plant thus retains four to five leaves. They do not have pseudobulbs and the storage of water and reserve substances is verified in their leaves, with broad and consistent blades more than 30 cm long, 9 cm wide.
The cluster appears from the stem that emerges between the leaves and blooms in all its splendor for several weeks. Flowering is summer, continuing in autumn. The flowers have the effect of opening all at the same time.
With a long (more than a meter) and branchy inflorescence. The flowers are variable in size and color. Flower backs vary from white to cream, sometimes tips of segments may be green or fused with green. The sepals and petals are profusely decorated with more or less dark grooved markings, consisting of numerous small dots alternating with bars or circles.
Dorsal sepal elliptic to ovoid-elliptic, pointed, margins recurved. Lateral sepals similar to the dorsal, slightly oblique, ending in a defined edge. Petals narrow rhomboid, pointed or obtuse, margins recurved, constricted towards the base.
Trilobed lip a little shorter than the petals, slightly pedicelate. Lateral oblong-linear lobes with truncate appendage, provided with a semi-globose callus in the middle. Intermediate lobe wedge-shaped or bellows-shaped, slightly toothed at the appendage. Starting from its base, the intermediate lobe is provided with a keel that continues to an ovoid callus densely covered with prominent hairs.
The disc between the lateral lobes has a glabrous, fleshy, semicylindrical callus ending in rounded, forward-facing fingers. At the junction of the lateral and intermediate lobes, the presence of a pair of more or less forked appendages is noted.
Column slightly arched, cylindrical, more than 12 mm in length.
The not very flexible roots are thick, fleshy and glabrous.
Species widely used in hybridizations as a pollen supply.

Habitat

Epiphytic orchid. In the wild they are found under the forest canopy in the lower part moisture, protected from direct sunlight. It develops on tree trunks with abundant moss from where the roots of the plant extract nutrients with the remains of tree bark. They are found from sea level to an altitude of 300 meters.

Cultivation

These plants are not very demanding in terms of cultivation. It requires some minimum conditions that are not difficult to achieve inside the houses.

• Temperature

Does well at house temperatures. It supports temperatures between 14 and 35 °C with a preference of temperature during the day of 20-24 °C. To make it flower, you have to maintain a temperature difference of 5 °C between day and night for a month.

• Light

Phalaenopsis prefer bright light, without direct midday sun. His ideal is between 15,000 and 20,000 lux. To do this, they can be placed next to a window facing east or west, with a curtain or fine curtain in between. Without direct sunlight as the leaves can burn. The roots of these orchids are green, they have chlorophyll, therefore they are capable of photosynthesis, so it is convenient that they are in colorless pots.

• Water

Preferably non-calcareous and chlorine-free (use filter cartridges if the available water is very calcareous). The ambient humidity should be between 50 and 60%, although it should be higher the higher the temperature.

• Irrigation

Moderate. You have to let the compost dry a little between two waterings. The roots prefer compost with good drainage. Reduce watering when the new pseudobulbs are mature. Some varieties prefer the roots to dry out quickly.

• Humidity

They like vaporizations.

• Clarification

Usually in late winter or spring, after flowering. They tolerate small pots well. Preferably use a non-porous pot (no terracotta pots), so as not to concentrate the mineral salts. If not, it is recommended to moisten the compost with clear water from time to time. After the pot change, wait about two weeks before starting the normal rhythm of watering. Steam the underside of the leaves.

• Substrate

Fine to medium granulometry, based on pine bark, attapulgite or argex (variable size spheres), charcoal, polystyrene.
It is convenient, not only in Phalaenopsis but in orchids in general, to disinfect the culture medium prior to its use. An effective and harmless method for both plants and the environment is disinfection by heat action.
The process consists of placing the well-moistened prepared mixture in a roasting pan and taking it to a conventional oven for 20 minutes at a temperature of 180 °C, taking care that it does not dry out excessively to avoid burning.
Remove and let cool completely. Once cold, moisten again (when planting the substrate must always be wet).

• Bonds

Because they are epiphytic plants that live on tree trunks and collect the rainwater that runs off, they do not require great fertilizer.
They sell special fertilizers for them, but it is enough to use a fertilizer for indoor plants, reducing its dose to a quarter, which we will apply every 10-15 days during flowering and the rest of the time sporadically.

• Reproduction

They produce innumerable seeds, but difficult to germinate unless they are in symbiosis with a fungus. Therefore, the easiest method is through Keikis (a sucker that the mother plant emits on the floral rod, after flowering). To stimulate the appearance of Keikis after flowering, the stick is cut above a knot about half its length. Then the skin that covers the buds of the internodes is carefully removed, taking great care not to damage them. With this we will get more light to reach them.
You can also dilute a pinch of plant growth hormone (benziladenine) in water and give a fine touch to the cut with a brush to stimulate its appearance. Once the keikis has given off small roots it can be separated from the mother plant.

History

First grown in Europe by Low in 1887, with specimens sent by Boxall.

Taxonomy

Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica was described by (Rchb.f.) Sweet and published in American Orchid Society Bulletin 38: 36. 1969.

Etymology

Phalaenopsis: generic name that comes from the Greek phalaina = “butterfly” and opsis = “similar”, due to the inflorescences of some species, reminiscent of butterflies in flight. For this reason, the species are called “butterfly orchids”.

hieroglyphica: Latin epithet.

Sinonimia

• Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana var. hieroglyphica Rchb.f. (1887)
• Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana var. palawensis Quisumbing (1953)
• Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana var. adensis (Hort)
• Polychilos hieoroglyphica Shim (1982)