Phalaenopsis schilleriana

Phalaenopsis schilleriana is an orchid of the genus Phalaenopsis of the subfamily Epidendroideae of the family Orchidaceae. Native to the Philippines. Included in CITES appendix II.

Illustration

Inflorescence

Illustration

Description

Phalaenopsis schilleriana Species whose petals are notoriously wider than the sepals. Flowering occurs between mid-winter and late spring.

Shows a monopodial developmental 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.

The cluster appears from the stem between the leaves and blooms in all its splendor for several weeks.

With a long, branched inflorescence (more than a meter long) with pale pink, almost rounded flowers with reddish-brown spots.

The flowers consist of 3 sepals different from the petals, 3 petals with one of them, the lower one, different, which forms the so-called lip and in the middle of them is the column (fusion of the stamens and pistils). Lip is much shorter than the petals, fleshier than the floral segments, deeply trilobed. Lateral lobes curved subquadrangular. Rounded apex with yellow base and yellow fleshy callus dotted with red.

The roots are thick and covered by a spongy tissue called the velamen that helps absorb water and nutrients. Inside is the authentic root, which contains chlorophyll and is green in color.

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 the tree's bark.

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 15,000-20,000 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 leaves have stopped growing. 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 advisable, not only for Phalaenopsis but also for orchids in general, to disinfect the culture medium prior to use. An effective and innocuous method for both plants and the environment is to achieve 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 prevent it from 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 (benzyladenine) in water and apply a fine touch to the cut with a brush to stimulate its appearance. Once the keikis has emitted some small roots it can be separated from the mother plant.

History

It was brought to Europe from Manila, Philippines by the Hamburg consul Schiller, who obtained the plant in 1858 from Mr Marius Porte who had collected the plants for Linden. Only one plant survived out of about 30 specimens.

Taxonomy

Phalaenopsis schilleriana was described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach and published in Hamburger Garten- und Blumenzeitung 16: 115. 1860.

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”.

schilleriana: epithet given in honor of Schiller, consul of Hamburg in Manila, who introduced it to Europe.

Sinonimia

• Phalaenopsis schilleriana var. viridi-maculata Shower 1862
• Phalaenopsis schilleriana var. delicata Dean 1877
• Phalaenopsis schilleriana var. splendens R.Warner 1878
• Phalaenopsis schilleriana var. major J.D.Hook 1886
• Phalaenopsis schilleriana var. compact Chick (Hort.) 1890
• Phalaenopsis curnowiana (Hort.) 1891
• Phalaenopsis schilleriana var. purpurea O'Brien 1892
• Phalaenopsis schilleriana var. odorata Van Brero 1935
• Phalaenopsis schilleriana var. grandiflora Van Brero 1935
• Phalaenopsis vestalis

Natural hybrids Phalaenopsis schilleriana

• Phalaenopsis × leucorrhoda ( Phalaenopsis aphrodite × Phalaenopsis schilleriana (Philippines)
• Phalaenopsis × veitchiana ( Phalaenopsis equestris × Phalaenopsis schilleriana (Philippines)