SUBFAMILY Epidendroideae, TRIBE Vandeae, SUBTRIBE Sarcanthinae. This is a vandanaceous genus comprised of 50, mostly epiphytic and some lithophytic species spread throughout most all of Asia east of India and the Pacfic to the Philippines and south to Australia. It is monopodial with large succulent, drooping leaves with short stems, giving rise off the stem from among the leaves to an inflorescence which can have a few to a hundred flowers with a distinct 3-lobed clawed lip. The parts of the Phalenopsis flower are, column {#1}, lateral lobe of labellum {#2}, mid lobe of the labellum {#3}, labellum {#4}, dorsal sepal {#5}, petals {#6}, lateral sepal {#7} They grow best in pots with a wood media or from wood slat baskets hung sideways with two wires. They like good air circulation and a minimum of light.
Phalaenopsis Species List
The species list below was composed with information from the following sources.The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids by Alec Pridgeon. Published by the Timber Press
The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species By Bechtel, Cribb and Launert, Published by The MIT Press
A Guide to the Orchids Of the World By Hodgson, Paine, and Anderson Published by Angus
species names that are synonyms of correct species are denoted with an ~.
~acutifolia - See P. sumatrana
~alboviolacea - See Kingidium deliciosum
~alcicornis -See P. sanderana
- amablis [Linn.]Blume
- Queensland Australia through Indonesia and to the Philippines - Alt 0-1000m - Flowers at any time and can last up to 6 months - Epiphyte
~ambigua - See P. aphrodite
- amboinensis J.J.Sm.
- Ambon Island and Celebes Island, Indonesia - Alt 80m - Flowers at any time - Uniformly warm and moist year round
~amethystina - See Kingidium deliciosum
~antennifera - See Doritis pulcherrima
- aphrodite Rchb.f.
- Taiwan to Philippines - Alt 0-1000' - Flowers in winter and early spring - Primary and secondary forests as an epiphyte - easily confused with P. amablis
appendiculata C.E.Carr - Pahang state, Malaya - Alt 18m - Epiphyte in small trees in forested lowlands -
~babuyana - See P. aphrodite
~barrii - See P. speciosa
~bella - See Kingidium deliciosum
bellina Christenson
~boxallii - See P. mannii
~buyssoniana - See Doritis pulcherrima
celebensis Sweet - Celebes Island - Flowers in Summer and Winter - Should always be kept moist
~celebica - See P. amablis
cochlearis Holttum - Sarawak and Borneo - Alt 1500-2000' - Flowers in Spring and Summer - Growa lithophytically on limestone cliffs - Moist year round - Warm
corningiana Rchb.f. - Borneo - Alt 457-610m - Flowers in Spring and Summer - Lithophyte on limestone cliffs or epiphyte near waterfalls on huge mossy trees - Intermediate
cornu-cervi [Breda]Blume and Rchb.f. - Thailand, Burma, India, Indonesia and Malaya - Alt 0-300m - Flowers in Spring through Fall - Epiphyte
~cruciata - See P. maculata
~cumingiana - See P. corningiana
~curnowiana - See P. schilleriana
~decumbens - See P. parishii
var lobbii - See P. lobbii
~deliciosa - See Kingidium deliciosum
~denevei - See Paraphalenopsis denevei
~denisiana - See P. fuscata
~denticulata - See P. pallens
~devriesiana - See P. cornu-cervi
equestris [Schauer]Rchb.f. - Luzon Island Philippinesa to Taiwan - Alt 0-300m - Flowers at any time - Near streams in hot valleys - Epiphyte
~erubescens - See P. aphrodite
~esmeralda - See Doritis pulcherrima
fasciata Rchb.f. - The Philippines - Alt 0-500m - epiphyte near rivers - Warm
fimbriata J.J.Sm. - Java, Sarawak and Sumatra - Alt 800-1350m - Flowers in Spring - Lithophyte on limestone cliffs in moss or Epiphyte in trees with bright reflected, dappled light
~foerstermanii - See P. pallens
~forbesii - See P. viridis
~formosa, formosana, formosum - See P. aphrodite
~fugax - See Sarcochilus pallidus
fuscata Rchb.f. - Thailand to Borneo and the Philippines - Alt 0-500m - Flowers in Spring and Summer- Epiphyte on trees near streams in shady forests
~fuscata x hurstleri - See P. kunstleri
~X gersenii [Teijs. & Binn]Rolfe - A natural hybrid between P. sumatrana and P. violacea
gibbosa Sweet Laos and N and South Vietnam - Alt 500m - Flowers in March - Open forests as a epiphyte - cooler nights in winter with a dryer rest - intermediate
gigantea J.J.Sm. - Sabah, Sarawak and Java - Alt 500' - Primeval forests - Large epiphyte - Flowers any time but mostly late Summer and early Spring
~gloriosa - See P. amablis
~grandiflora - See P. amablis
~hainanensis - See P. stobartiana
~hebe - See Kingidium deliciosum
hieroglyphica [Rchb.f] Sweet - Philippines - Alt 0-200m - Flowers in Late Spring and Summer - Epiphyte - Warm grower
~hombronii - See P. amablis
~imperati - See P. speciosa
inscriptiosinensis Fowlie - Central Sumatra - Alt 0-900m - Small epiphyte on forest trees
X intermedia Lindley - a Natural hybrid between P. equestris and P. amablis
javanica J.J.Sm. - Java - Alt 0-700m - Flowers in Spring Fall and Winter - Epiphyte
~kimballiana - See P. reichenbachiana
kunstleri Hkr.f. - Burma and Malaya, Perak state - Alt 300-1800m - Flowers in Spring and Summer - Intermediate to warm grower - epiphyte
lamelligera Sweet - Borneo - Type specimen is the only known plant
~latisepala - See P. javanica
~laycockii - See Paraphalenopsis laycockii
x leucorrhoda Rchb.f. - A natural hybrid between P. aphrodite and P. schilleriana although the parents habitats are hundreds of miles apart
lindenii Lohreiro - Luzon Island Philippines - Alt 1524m or higher - Flowers in all months other than Feb, Mar and Apr.- epiphyte - Intermediate
~listeri - See P. lobbii
lobbii Sweet - Eastern himalayas in Bhutan and Sikkim and Assam - Alt 1200-1500' - Flowers in Winter - Epiphyte -
lowii Rchb.f. - Borneo and Burma - Alt 0-50m - Warm - Flowers in Fall - Lithophyte on Limestone rocks with full morning sun and afternoon shade or epiphytes on brasnches of small bushes rootesd in rock crevasses
lueddemanniana Rchb.f. - Philippines - Alt 90-200' - Flowers at any time - Epiphyte
var pallens - See P. pallens
var pulchra - See P. pulchra
luteola - See P. pantherina
maculata Rchb.f. - Borneo - Alt 800-3000' - Flowers in Summer - Lithophyte on Limestone hills in the shade on moist bare rocks or as an epiphyte at the base of moss covered trees
mannii Rchb.f. - India and Vietnam - Alt 1500' - Flowers in spring, summer and late winter - epiphyte on rough barked trees near forest streams with dense undergrowth giving rise to high humidity and dark shade
mariae Burbage ex Warner & Williams - Borneo to the Philippines - Alt 2000' - Flowers in all months other than Nov and Dec.- Epiphyte on tree trunks and branches always in dense shade
~ mastersii - See Doritis mastersii
micholitzii Rolfe - Philippines - Alt 0-1500ft - Rare
modesta J.J.Sm. - Borneo - Alt 1200' - Small epiphyte
~musicola - See P. maculata
mysorensis Saldanha - Southern India - Alt 3000' - Flowers in December - Epiphyte - Intermediate
~ochracea - See P. lueddemanniana
pallens [Lindl]Rchb.f. - Philippines - Alt 0-1500' - Flowers from Sept-Apr - Dwarf epiphyte
pantherina Rchb.f. - Indonesia - Cool grower - Lithophyte on moss covered rocks near gushing mountain streams - Flowers in May and June -
parishii Rchb.f. - Himalayas India and Burma - Flowers in Late winter spring and early summer - Epiphyte on moss covered trees on branches overhanging streams - Hot grower
var lobbii - See P. lobbii
philippinense Golamco ex Fowlie and Tang - Philippines - Flowers at any time - Epiphyte on tall trees near streams
~pleihary - See P. amablis
~proboscidiodes - See P. lowii
~psilantha - See P. amboinensis
~pulcherrima - See Doritis pulcherrima
pulchra [Rchb.f.]Sweet - Luzon Philippines - Alt 4500' - Flowers in May-Sept - Epiphyte on east facing mountain slopes - intermediate to cool
~regnierana - See Doritis regnierana
reichenbachiana Rchb.f. & Sander - Philippines - Light shade - Rare
~rimestadiana - See P. amablis
~riteiwanensis - See P. equestris
robinsonii J.J.Sm. - Ambon Island - Found only in 1913 and never again to date - Rare
~rosea - See P. equestris
~rosenstromii - See P. amablis
~ruckerana - See Sarcochilus pallidus
~ruckeri - See Sarcochilus pallidus
sanderana Rchb.f. - Philippines, Mindanao Island - Alt 0-1500ft - Free flowering - Epiphyte
schillerana Rchb.f. - Luzon Island Philippines - Alt 0-1500ft - flowers anytime other than Sept. - Medium to Large Epiphyte on high branches and high up on trunks
~serpentilingua - See Paraphalenopsis serpentilingua
~simonsei - See Paraphalenopsis serpentilingua
speciosa Rchb.f. - Endemic to Nicobar Island - Alt 0-50ft - Flowered May-Oct - epiphyte on mangroves in muddy swamp - Extinct from over collecting
stobartiana Rchb.f. - China and Burma - Alt 300ft - Flowers in July - Epiphyte on large tree branches over streams in warm dense forest - Has more roots than leaves and can be deciduous
stuartiana Rchb.f. -Philippines - Alt 0-1500ft - Flowers in All months other than June and Oct - Usually found near water and often near enough to sea water to get salt spray as an epiphyte - warm and moist year round
sumatrana Korth & Rchb.f. - Malaysia, Java, Borneo, Thailand and Sumatra - Flowers in Feb-Nov - Epiphye in trees near water in shady nooks
~tetraspis - See P. speciosa
~X thorntonii - See Paraphalenopsis x thorntonii
X veitchiana Rchb.f. - A Natural hybrid between P. equestris and P. schillerana
venosa Shim & Fowlie - Central Celebes, Indonesia - Alt 3000ft - Flowers in Aug-Nov - Epiphyte - Cool grower
~vestalis - See P. schillerana
violacea Witte - Borneo and Sumatra - Alt 0-300ft - Flowers in May-Nov - Warm grower - Epiphyte on large shade trees near lowland rivers
viridis J.J.Sm. -Sumatra - Alt 2600ft - Flowers in April - Epiphyte on low tree trunks in dark nooks or lithophyte on limestone rocks - Intermediate to warm -
~wightii - See Kingidium deliciosum
~ var stobartiana - see P. stobartiana
wilsonii Rolfe - China - Alt 4920-7052ft - Flowers in April - Cool to cold grower
~zebrina - see P. sumatrana