Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis philippinensis
The genus Phalaenopsis belongs to the orchid family (Orchidaceae) and includes a variety of exotic species. The botanical name is derived from the Greek words phalaina ( φάλαινα; Engl. lit. " Moth" ) and opsis ( ὄψις; Engl. literally " sight " ), because their flowers are reminiscent of tropical moths. In German-speaking these orchids " moth orchid " or " Malays Flower" are mentioned.
Phalaenopsis is known primarily as an ornamental plant and popular, especially the countless, large-flowered hybrids enjoy worldwide popularity and growing demand. Millions of pot plants are sold annually in supermarkets, hardware stores and garden centers and as cut flowers in florists shops. Pure species are considered in part as a coveted collector's items. Were first mentioned Phalaenopsis to 1704, the first artificial hybrids were grown in 1886 in Chelsea, near London. Originally Phalaenopsis originate from the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.
- 5.1 Nature hybrids
- 5.2 Culture hybrids
- 5.3 intergeneric hybrids
Description
Appearance, leaves and roots
Without exception, all species are characterized by monopodial growth which means they grow only in the amount and form no lateral shoots usually made. Most species grow as epiphytes, ie on the branches and twigs of trees, or in their tribes; some species live on moss-covered rocks ( lithophytic ).
The usually two to six double-spaced ( distich ) growing, more or less leathery leaves are different in shape, color and size from species to species. The smallest species with leaf length up to about 10-40 cm and only moderately leathery leaves such as Phalaenopsis appendiculata differ very significantly from the large specimens such as Phalaenopsis gigantea, have the blade lengths of up to 100 cm or more, while very own fleshy - leathery leaves can. Their leaf coloration ranges uniform, light to dark green of how Phalaenopsis amabilis and Phalaenopsis gigantea at. Some species have silvery speckled leaves, such as phalaenopsis Phalaenopsis stuartiana and schilleriana. Usually one or two new leaves per season from the " heart" of the plant grow out, while one or two leaves at the bottom of the stem axis are yellow, dry up and fall off.
The numerous smooth and fleshy roots develop at the base of the stem axis or at the lower nodes, some of them among the leaves. They are between one and eight millimeters thick and serve, in addition to the absorption of nutrients and water, in addition as a holdfast. Some species are deciduous conditionally by the climatic conditions at the site. They therefore possess chlorophyll-containing roots. In addition, the roots are surrounded by velamen radicum.
Inflorescences and flowers
The inflorescences arise from the side of the short shoot axis under or between the leaves. They grow vertically upwards, arched overhanging or suspended. Some species bloom for several years from the same inflorescence, while others every year one or more inflorescences develop new. Their length varies from a few centimeters to 100 cm and more. In some species, but especially in hybrids, the plants bloom again after from the internodes when the inflorescence is not completely removed.
The hermaphrodite, zygomorphic (mono balanced) blooms are triple. The flowers vary in size, with a diameter of 1-2 cm up to 15 cm ( in some hybrids even more). The structure of the flowers ranges from soft to wax-like solid. They consist of three sepals ( sepals ) and three petals ( petals ) of a Petalum the lip ( labellum ) is formed, which is always divided into three parts and is composed of a spatula-shaped middle lobe and two side lobes. The middle lobe is equipped with species such as Phalaenopsis stuartiana at its end with two tail -like appendages ( Cirrhi ). The center of the flower is the anther callus and scar at the tip of a special protective cap hides the pollinia.
Propagation
Reproduction is mainly by seed or by Kindel education.
As pollinators few times carpenter bees were observed, but other insects it be accepted as pollinators. Lands a visitor on the lip of the flower to look at the callus for nectar, or the flower to copulate ( in the mistaken belief that a love partner of their own kind in front of you ), it breaks the backward creep the protective cap of the anther from and gets a pollen package with sticky appendage attached to the back. When searching the next flower the insect strips the pollen package at the bottom of the column, where it remains in a special recess. If pollination is successful, the scar closes.
In a few species, such as Phalaenopsis violacea, a special phenomenon could be observed, which also occurs in other orchid genera such as Cymbidium and Vanda: After successful pollination, the petals do not wilt and do not fall off, they regress only something greening and remain until full maturity of the seeds. It is believed that these flowers metamorphosis by additional photosynthesis to promote the ripening of seeds.
At the inflorescences of some species, such as Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana, often forming so-called Keiki for vegetative propagation. This phenomenon was first observed and documented in 1894. The type Phalaenopsis stuartiana forms even at the adventitious root ends. During the formation of Kindeln genetically identical plants arise which often can be flowering size within a year itself, propagation by seeds take much longer. The ripening of the fruit capsules of the various species is 5-15 months. In artificial seeding then it takes another 3 to 10 years to flowerable plant.
Dissemination
The species of the genus Phalaenopsis are mainly found in the Philippines and the Indonesian islands. The range extends in total but of Bhutan Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, the Malay Peninsula to Queensland in northern Australia.
The sites are usually characterized by daytime temperatures of 25 ° C to 35 ° C and night temperatures of 15 ° C to 25 ° C, due to high rainfall during the growing season and a year-round high humidity. Chance the conditions of some habitats are also characterized by significantly lower temperatures, especially during the winter months, Phalaenopsis lobbii about endures temperatures down to 5 ° C. The plants grow mainly in partial shade to bright without direct sunlight. Beaches and grounds are well in full sun.
Botanical history
The botanical name of the genus Phalaenopsis received by the Swedish zoologist and botanist Carl von Linné 1753 This looked at the sight of the flowers on flying moths of the genus Phalaena (now Biston ). Recalls.
The first species of the genus was already in 1704 by Georg Joseph Kamel under the name Visco - Aloes Luzonis decima quarta in John Ray's botanical work " Historia Plantarum " (Volume 3) described. It was a plant of the species Phalaenopsis aphrodite. The genus itself was built in 1825 by the botanist Carl Ludwig Blume. By 1860, presented HG Reichenbach in the "Hamburger garden and flower newspaper" a first summary of all hitherto known species before and extended themselves in 1862 to 11 more new discoveries.
The first artificially produced hybrids bloomed in 1886 at the company Veitch and Sons. It was the crossing Phalaenopsis " Intermedia " (Phalaenopsis aphrodite × Phalaenopsis equestris ). This crossing was later also found in imports as a natural hybrid Phalaenopsis × intermedia. In 1897, flourished also Phalaenopsis " Harriettiae " (Phalaenopsis amabilis Phalaenopsis violacea × ) and Phalaenopsis " FL Ames " (Phalaenopsis " Intermedia "x Phal. Amabilis ) for the first time.
System
Within the family of orchids, the Phalaenopsis genus is classified in the subtribe Aeridinae, ie in the relationship to the genre of Tower of the Winds. Next relatives of the genera Phalaenopsis are Ascochilopsis and Pteroceras, these three sites within the subtribe represents the basal, earliest separated from the other genera group
In addition to the approximately 100 species, varieties, forms and natural hybrids, there are now a vast number of grown culture hybrids.
Since there are different views on the membership of some species to the genus Phalaenopsis in the professional world, it is difficult to give an exact Artübersicht; especially the inclusion of the genera Doritis and Kingidium in Phalaenopsis is controversial. The classification in this Article is modeled on the current revision of the genus by EA Christenson from the year 2001.
The genus is accordingly divided into five subgenera:
- Proboscidiodes
- Aphyllae
- Parishianae
- Polychilos ( with the sections Polychilos, Fuscatae, Amboinenses and Zebrina )
- Phalaenopsis ( with the sections Phalaenopsis, Deliciosae, Esmeralda and Stauroglottis )
Some subjects in this list taxa of the state is unknown or uncertain. This is mainly because they have long been considered such as Phalaenopsis Phalaenopsis robinsonii or mysorensis considered lost.
Natural hybrids
The following natural hybrids of the genus Phalaenopsis are known ( the hybridizing parental species are given in parentheses):
- Phalaenopsis × amphitrite ( Phal. sanderiana × Phal. Stuartiana )
- Phalaenopsis × gersenii ( Phal. violacea × Phal. Sumatrana )
- Phalaenopsis × intermedia ( Phal. aphrodite × Phal. Equestris )
- Phalaenopsis × leucorrhoda ( Phal. aphrodite × Phal. Schilleriana )
- Phalaenopsis × rolfeana ( Phal. equestris × Phal. Sanderiana )
- Phalaenopsis × singuliflora ( Phal. bellina × Phal. Sumatrana )
- Phalaenopsis × valentinii ( cornu - cervi Phal. × Phal. Violacea )
- Phalaenopsis × veitchiana ( Phal. equestris × Phal. Schilleriana )
They were created by the fact that the habitats of the species involved overlap or are even identical, so that the pollinating insects by a mixture of genetic material by " Pollinientransfer " was possible.
Cultural hybrids
Within the genus and the species boundaries, there are a very large number of hybrids. It is estimated that about 25,000 of them registered, occur each year about 200 to 300 new registrations. In addition to the officially with the Royal Horticultural Society ( RHS ) registered hybrids, there are a vast number of intersections without any designation which are mostly produced for the mass market ( hardware stores, plant centers, supermarkets and florists and decoration industry). Main goals in most of the " industrial" varieties are Blühfreudigkeit and sturdiness paired either with as many and large flowers or compact growth and many flowers per flowering stem.
Intergeneric hybrids
The most popular cross-genre hybrids (so-called genus hybrids) are listed below; the output genera are in turn added in brackets:
- Phalandopsis (Phalaenopsis × Vandopsis )
- Vandopsis ( Vanda × Phalaenopsis)
Economic factor
Both the types and the primary hybrids economically play only a small role. The amount generated is generally limited and relies mainly on the field of lovers and breeders. Such plants are produced mainly by small to medium orchid farms (of which there are quite a lot in Germany compared to other European countries ), or from private breeders. The same is true for the majority of all registered hybrids of private or small commercial breeding, of which usually only one, rarely a second or third offspring is performed.
The situation is different in the multi- hybrids that have been bred over the years to Blühfreudigkeit and robustness. The demand for such plants has skyrocketed in recent years and could be satisfied only on the path of tissue cultures. The world's largest producers are farms in Indonesia and Taiwan. In Europe, the main production is mainly in the Netherlands.
The high demand is mainly due to the low prices at which the hybrids are available in construction and plant markets, from their large color variety and sometimes long flowering period of individual flowering shoots. In addition, many glossy brochures on topics such as decoration or modern interior design today decorative accents with pictures of Phalaenopsis hybrids and thereby provide for an increase in the awareness of these plants.
Threat to the habitats and species protection
Although there is little information on the stock of individual populations are available, it can be assumed that the habitats of all kinds are under intense pressure. You will be continuously reduced mainly by deforestation and clearing of tropical forests and conversion to agricultural land. The excessive collecting plants for export to meet demand from all parts of the world strengthened even further this problem. Some species only the findings of the respective first description are known, so that the assumption that endemic species may have been wiped out already again before they came at all in culture, is not entirely be dismissed out of hand.
To protect the plant regulations have been enacted which regulate trade and intercourse with them. All Phalaenopsis species are in Appendix II of the CITES Convention ( WA). Your import is thus only with valid CITES documents ( both the export and the import country), and the mandatory health certificate possible. The interpretation and implementation of CITES regulations can be regard as quite controversial, because the real main problem is not the trade with the plants, but the destruction of the habitat on site.
List of species
The following types list, divided into subgenera and sections, based on the taxonomic determinations of the Royal Botanic Gardens ( Kew ).
- Subgenus Proboscidiodes ( Rolfe ) E.A.Christ. Phalaenopsis lowii
- Subgenus Aphyllae ( Sweet) E.A.Christ. ( some species of this subgenus originally formed the genus Kingidium; these species are marked with *) Phalaenopsis taenialis *
- Phalaenopsis braceana *
- Phalaenopsis finleyi *
- Phalaenopsis wilsonii
- Phalaenopsis stobartiana
- Phalaenopsis honghenensis
- Phalaenopsis hainanensis
- Phalaenopsis natmataungensis
- Subgenus Parishianae ( Sweet) E.A.Christ. appendiculata Phalaenopsis
- Phalaenopsis gibbosa
- Phalaenopsis lobbii
- Phalaenopsis parishii
- Phalaenopsis thailandica
- Subgenus Polychilos ( Breda ) E.A.Christ. Section Polychilos ( Breda ) Rchb.f. Phalaenopsis mannii
- Phalaenopsis cornu - cervi
- Phalaenopsis borneensis
- Phalaenopsis pantherina
- Phalaenopsis cochlearis
- Phalaenopsis viridis
- Phalaenopsis fuscata
- Phalaenopsis kunstleri
- Phalaenopsis pulchra
- Phalaenopsis violacea
- Phalaenopsis bellina
- Phalaenopsis micholitzii
- Phalaenopsis fimbriata
- Phalaenopsis flore sensis
- Phalaenopsis robinsonii
- Phalaenopsis gigantea
- Phalaenopsis fasciata
- Phalaenopsis doweryënsis
- Phalaenopsis modesta
- Phalaenopsis maculata
- Phalaenopsis javanica
- Phalaenopsis mariae
- Phalaenopsis amboinensis
- Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana
- Phalaenopsis venosa
- Phalaenopsis reichenbachiana
- Phalaenopsis rundumensis
- Phalaenopsis pallens
- Phalaenopsis bastianii
- Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica
- Phalaenopsis inscriptiosinensis
- Phalaenopsis speciosa
- Phalaenopsis tetraspis
- Phalaenopsis corningiana
- Phalaenopsis sumatrana
- Phalaenopsis zebrina
- Subgenus Phalaenopsis section Phalaenopsis Phalaenopsis philippinensis
- Phalaenopsis stuartiana
- Phalaenopsis amabilis
- Phalaenopsis aphrodite
- Phalaenopsis sanderiana
- Phalaenopsis schilleriana
- Phalaenopsis chibae
- Phalaenopsis deliciosa (this type formerly belonged to the genus Kingidium )
- Phalaenopsis mirabilis
- Phalaenopsis mysorensis
- Phalaenopsis buyssoniana
- Phalaenopsis pulcherrima
- Phalaenopsis regnieriana
- Phalaenopsis equestris
- Phalaenopsis celebensis
- Phalaenopsis lindenii