Phalaenopsis amabilis
Picture 1 Phalaenopsis amabilis
Video 1 Phalaenopsis amabilis
Phalaenopsis amabilis, commonly known as the moth orchid is a
species of orchid
1. Taxonomy and nomenclature
Picture 1.1 Angraecum Album Majus
It was first discovered on a small island off the east coast
of New
Guinea by the botanist Georg
Eberhard Rumphius in 1653; however, he named it Angraecum album majus[.
It remained undiscovered until 1825 when Karl Ludwig Blume discovered the same species and gave it the name it is
known by presently. This species is usually found in the eastern to
southeastern regions of Asia. Plants in this genus are typically widespread in
the areas of eastern Asia, such as China and Indonesia.
3. Description
Picture 2.1 Phalaenopsis amabilis Description
Plants of this genus have a uniform structure that makes
the identification easy for novice botanists. Phalaenopsis
amabilis, like most of the other species in this genus, has a short stem.
This is believed to be an adaptation to gain the light requirements needed to
grow, according to Christenson.
The rooting of P. amabilis is usually unbranched. The only times
it would be branched are if the roots are damaged or if the individual has
gotten old in age. The leaves of P.
amabilis vary from oblong to
elliptic at the base and obtuse, minutely, at the tip or apex and measures at
50 × 10 cm. The moth orchid's flower is showy, membranous, white, the lip,
(the unpared petals of an orchid) which is three-lobed, and the callus are a
variety of yellow and red depending on the individual plant. It is able to
bloom for a long period of time and can grow up to 10 cm in diameter and
more.
Phalaenopsis amabilis reproduces sexually through pollination. This plant grows its
flower to attract the pollinator. It is generally pollinated by large carpenter
bees from the genus Xylocopa.
For this particular species in the Phalaenopsis genus the pollination frequency
and success rate is high (about 50%).
P. amabilis and the
other species in the same genus grow naturally in three distinct habitats. The first is in seasonally
dry areas, then seasonally cool areas and last constantly moist or humid areas
(Christenson), developing adaptions for each habitat. For the seasonally dry
habitats, Phalaenopsis species have an extreme adaptation in
which it adopts deciduous habits, losing its leaves. They do
this because in dry habitats, leaves are a serious liability when water isn't
easily accessible. This adaptation typically occurs in species found outside
the Himalayan region. For the habitats that are seasonally
cool areas, the species found there are all deciduous or semi-deciduous in
nature which means these plants have a strong dormant rest period. In this
dormant period, the plants have protection from the cold due to the high carbon
to nitrogen ratio and low water content on the leaf tissue. The constantly
moist and humid habitats are the most common places that someone can find many
of the Phalaenopsis species. In this habitat, the species
grow in the canopy evergreen forests. Because they grow in the canopy, the
species' adaptation is growing leathery leaves to prevent desiccation and so
that the plants can tolerate higher light levels than other species.
According to Dressler, the plants of this family are
thought to be closely related to plants that would have been classified in the Liliaceae or the Amaryllidaceaefamilies. This is the
largest flower in the genus. When it was discovered, the name it has now was
misapplied because it was constantly mistaken for the P. aphrodite so before it was called P. grandiflora.
4. Importance
Picture 4.1 National Flowers in Indonesia
Phalaenopsis amabilis (Indonesian: anggrek
bulan meaning "moon
orchid") is one of the three national
flowers in Indonesia, the other two being the sambac jasmine and padma
raksasa Officially
recognized as national "flower of charm" (Indonesian: puspa pesona) in Presidential
Decree No. 4 in 1993,
In China, the orchid stood for refinement, friendship,
perfection, numerous progeny, all things feminine, noble, and elegant.
