Waling-waling

Vanda sanderiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Orchidales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Subtribe: Aeridinae
Genus: Vanda
Species: V. sanderiana
Binomial name
Vanda sanderiana
(Rchb.f.) Schltr. 1914
Synonyms

Vanda sanderiana is a flower of the orchid family. It is commonly called Waling-waling[3] in the Philippines and is also called Sander's Vanda,[4] after Henry Frederick Conrad Sander,[5] a noted orchidologist. The orchid is considered to be the "Queen of Philippine flowers" and is worshiped as a diwata by the indigenous Bagobo people.[5]

Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach named as Vanda sanderiana.

It has two forms, pink and white, also referred to as alba. M. Roebelin discovered the original pink variety in the Philippines in 1881 or 1882. Rudolf Schlechter separated Euanthe from Vanda in 1914 due to structural differences in the flowers.( lact of spur ) [6] For breeding purposes and registration by the Royal Horticultural Society, however, it is still treated as a Vanda.[7]

Vanda sanderiana is endemic to Mindanao in the provinces of Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is found on the trunks of dipterocarp trees at elevations below 500 meters. Over-collected, the plant is considered rare in nature.[2] It is often used in hybridization.[8]

Studies have shown that when raised at high altitude, the plant bears flowers early.

In 2004, there had been a motion in the House of Representatives of the Philippines to declare the "Waling-waling" as the country's national flower, replacing the Sampaguita.[9][10]

In 2013, a bill was passed by the Philippine Senate declaring the Waling-waling as a national flower alongside the Sampaguita.[11]

Systematic

In a recent molecular study of the genus Vanda ,[12] several genera were reclassified as synonyms of Vanda,[13][14]

Varieties

The Philippine Orchid Society, which incorporates an image of the flower in its logo, states that the species has three varieties:[15]

Described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in The Gardeners' Chronicle in 1887, the plant's flower size is smaller than that of the species. Its lateral sepals are yellowish-green with white margins. Its dorsal sepal and petals are white with purple spots at the base. The labellum has purple dots. This plant was reported from Davao del Sur and South Cotabato on Mindanao Island where it grows as an epiphyte at elevations to 500 meters. This variety is now extremely rare in its natural habitat.
This variety has bright rose flower stalks and has very large flowers compared to the species. The lateral sepals are bright yellow, with rose coloration towards the margins and densely covered with large purple reticulated veins. The dorsal sepal and petals are rose-colored on the upper half, while the lower half has brownish-purple spots.
This variety is similar to the species, with the exception that the lip or labellum is green with crimson stripes.

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.