Phalaenopsis corningiana is perhaps, on the top of my list of species from the genus
Phalaenopsis for two main reasons: (1) it is endemic to Borneo - found only in state of Sarawak and (2) it has a sweet, grape-like fragrance that rivals that of
Phalaenopsis bellina. As the narrow habitat for this species is getting destroyed in Sarawak, we may not have any wild groves remaining, so like many
Phalaenopsis species, its preservation is dependent on collections around the world. Relatively unknown in Borneo, it also means that it is more difficult for this species to remain conserved
ex situ in the home garden of orchid hobbyists on the island who mainly collect wild-collected specimens.
Because it tends to be a little more difficult and quite slow growing,
Phal. corningiana is not as popular as
Phal. bellina in cultivation but a few vendors have recently had these for sale here. These line-bred lines differ quite significantly from wild plants in terms of the intensity and density of the red pigmentation on the flowers.
Phalaenopsis corningiana ('Fernbrook' AM/AOS x 'Dowery')
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