First bloom Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi is a rather widespread species in South East Asia and is also found on Borneo. This species is generally the easier one to grow among the sister species in this complex but remains a challenge my current home-growing setup. They generally flower gregariously and continuously when given lots of light, warmth and water.

This is the first blooming of a selfing of a line-bred cultivar that has taken many years to acclimate to the growing conditions. The upside is that this flower does have good color, petal size and is very flat compared to the wild species. It's also quite fragrant, which is always a plus when growing Phalaenopsis species!

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi

Borneophals list updates

I have not updated the borneophals species list in a while because there has not been too much activity. Since the last update, I lost a Phal. maculata and a Phal. pantherina, but managed to reacquired another Phal. pantherina plus a very small seedling of Phal. doweryensis for the collection. Other species that have been acquired are Coelogyne odoardi (endemic to Borneo) and Sarcochilus falcatus (endemic to Australia).

This past month has seen a few nice bloomings including a first bloom from an 'Amami Island' Neofinetia falcata. This plant was left outside for a month in the California "winter", but brought in when temperatures dropped below 35F. It appears that this treatment is enough to induce blooms in the summer which are very fragrant at night. It's a delightful species, and I can definitely understand the current obsession for this species, especially with its long history in Japan.

Neofinetia falcata

Borneo Phalaenopsis species list

Species	Distribution
Phalaenopsis amabilis	Borneo, Indonesia, Australia, Papua New Guinea
Phalaenopsis appendiculata	Borneo, West Malaysia
Phalaenopsis bellina	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis borneensis	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis cochlearis	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis corningiana	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi	Borneo, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand
Phalaenopsis deliciosa	Borneo, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines
Phalaenopsis doweryensis	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis fimbriata	Borneo, Indonesia
Phalaenopsis fuscata	Borneo, West Malaysia, Philippines
Phalaenopsis gigantea	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis lamelligera	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis maculata	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis mariae	Borneo, Philippines
Phalaenopsis modesta	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis pantherina	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis rundumensis	Endemic to Borneo
Phalaenopsis sumatrana	Borneo, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand

- Species highlighted green are the ones I currently have in the collection.

Other orchid species from Borneo in the collection

Species	Distribution
Cymbidium ensifolium	Widespread, including Borneo
Coelogyne odoardi	Endemic to Borneo
Dyakia hendersoniana	Endemic to Borneo
Paphiopedilum kolopakingii	Endemic to Borneo
Paphiopedilum lowii	Borneo, West Malaysia, Indonesia
Paphiopedilum rothschildianum	Endemic to Borneo
Paphiopedilum sanderianum	Endemic to Borneo
Paphiopedilum stonei	Endemic to Borneo
Paraphalaenopsis labukensis	Endemic to Borneo
Pteroceras hirsutum	Endemic to Borneo

Other Phalaenopsis species in the collection

Species	Distribution
Phalaenopsis lindenii	Phillipines
Phalaenopsis javanica	Indonesia
Phalaenopsis speciosa	Nicobar Islands
Phalaenopsis stuartuania	Phillipines
Phalaenopsis violacea	West Malaysia

Other orchid species in the collection

Species	Distribution
Bulbophyllum lasiochilum	West Malaysia, Thailand, Burma
Cymbidium goeringii	India, Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Japan
Neofinetia falcata	China, Korea, Japan
Sarcochilus falcatus	Endemic to Australia

Two Phalaenopsis species from section Zebrinae

Two species that have been found on Borneo from section Zebrinae are Phalaenopsis corningiana and Phalaenopsis sumatrana. Of the two, Phalaenopsis corningiana is endemic to Borneo, and has one of the coolest scent that smells like grape soda with hints of cloves, which is quite unique.

This is the second bloom for this Phalaenopsis corningiana, but I have yet to figure out how to grow this species well without stressing it out too much.

The sister species, Phalaenopsis sumatrana, is really quite different. This plant had previously bloomed but it's the first time it has bloomed here. Unlike Phalaenopsis corningiana, Phalaenopsis sumatrana produces an acrid, turpentine-y, burnt-plastic scent. Because the number of bloom it carried produced massive amounts of scents, it became quite uncomfortable to even stay in the room it was blooming in (!), which unfortunately meant I had to prematurely cut the flowers after a few days. These will definitely have to be grown in a separate room in the future.

Two first bloom Phalaenopsis fimbriata

Phalaenopsis fimbriata was discovered in 1921 in Java, and has purported a range from Sumatra to Sarawak (Borneo). As the name suggests, it has a distinct fimbriate lip that looks like a raised fringe with small projections on the edges at the midlobe of the lip. It is quite fragrant but it is not pleasant -- smells like burnt rubber and ammonia to me.

These are siblings from the same cross but have very different shape and forms. The one I've labeled #1 has larger flowers and "flatter" blooms, while #2 has the normal form of this species. 

Phalaenopsis fimbriata #1

Phalaenopsis fimbriata #2

First bloom Phalaenopsis cochlearis

Very excited to finally be able to bloom this Phalaenopsis cochlearis that's been growing here for about three years now. The first thing I noticed was that it's quite fragrant, very much like orange blossoms to me, but others have described it as lemony. It's a really cool flower and is my new favorite species!

This species has a purported limited range in Sarawakian Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia, and according to the Nortons from Orchidview, Phal. cochlearis may already be extinct in the wild. It's not the best news, but reminds us of the importance of keeping this species in cultivation.

Phalaenopsis cochlearis

Bornean rainforest, waterfall and orchids

Chasing the slim possibility of good diving conditions during the February monsoon in an El niño year in the North Eastern South China Sea meant facing reality when bad visibility resulted in a trip cut short. However, as fortune would have it, we had a whole day to explore the nearby rainforest reserve during the decompression period, before flying. I almost wished I had made plans to stay longer, as the resident hornbills had just recently hatched their first chicks and it would have been great to have had the chance to spot the happy family. Their distinctive calls were heard often during the hike.

The misty, dipterocarp forest. This picture did not do justice to the sheer size and astounding diversity of the different tree species here.

Beautiful fan palms, Licuala valida, graced the entire hike.

Two examples of winged fruit from Dipterocarpaceae, the second being from Shorea macrophylla a.k.a. Engkabang.

Waterfall.

Underwater shot of fishes at the waterfall.

Nepenthes bicalcarata, with its distinctive lid and beautifully proportioned pitcher.

Musa sp.

Selaginella sp.

One of the terrestrial orchids encountered, Claderia viridiflora, which had a strong scent reminiscent of jasmines.

Coelogyne foerstermanii cluster high up on a tree, some in flower.

Appendicula sp. by a stream.

Fallen Coelogyne sp. (?)

Here are some other orchids that have been rescued from the site and are housed in a shaded area. Hopefully, these will continue to set seed, or be re-distributed somehow.

Acriopsis liliifolia

Robiquetia spathulata

Two Phalaenopsis species in bloom

Updates from the grow space this month include two species that are currently in bloom. Of the two, only Phal. fuscata is distributed in Borneo, whereas Phal. stuartiana is a species endemic to Mindanao in the Philippines. These two species make quite a lovely primary hybrid, which has been registered as Phal. Zuma's Angelita (click on the name to get a link to see an example from www.phals.net). A plan to remake this cross with these two individuals is currently underway.

Interesting observations include the pretty unique fragrance that is emitted by Phal. fuscata, which is a mix of sweet and grassy scents, with a woody undertone. As for the nobilis form of Phal. stuartiana, the flowers open mostly pale and the suffuse yellow coloration took about two weeks to deepen in my conditions. This plant isn't fragrant, which suggests that this trait could be variable within this species.

Phalaenopsis stuartiana f. nobilis

Phalaenopsis fuscata