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Phalaenopsis equestris (Rchb.f 1849)
 
 
Linnaea 1949. Birth certificate Phalaenopsis equestris
From the Latin equester, in connection with the cavalry.Obscure origin
Distribution : The Philippines (at the origin very abundant on the coast of Manila), Taïwan
Synonyms
Stauroglottis equestris (Schauer 1843)
Phalaenopsis rosea (Lindl 1848)
Phalaenopsis stauroglottis (Hort. 1876)
Phalaenopsis rosea var.deliciosa (Burb. 1882)
Phalaenopsis riteiwanensis (Masamune 1934)
 
      Epiphytic plant with short stem, completely enclosed by imbricating leaf-sheaths.
      Many roots, fleshy, glabrous.
      Leaves fleshy, recurved, ovate-oblong or elliptic, obliquely acute or a little emarginate at apex, carinate dorsally, of a beautiful green, long from 10 to 20 cm, wide from 5 to 6 cm.
      Flower stalk, ascending, arcuate, robust compared to its length, simple or branched, brown /purple, a little flexuous, bearing rachis of many flowers, continuing to lengthen during flowering and to producing new buttons
      Bracts rather inconspicuous to 2 mm.
       Flowers variable in size and coloration. Dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic to ovate-elliptic, acute, margins somewhat recurved. Lateral sepals similar to dorsal one, somewhat oblique, acute, turned backwards. Petals narrowly rhomboid, acute or obtuse, margin somewhat recurved, constricted toward base.
 

Lip as long as the sepals, deeply 3-lobed. Lateral lobes oblong-obovate or linear-spatulate, oblique, curved, obtuse or rounded, anterior margin fleshy.Midlobe very briefly onguiculate, oval or elliptic or rhomboid, slightly concave in its middle, apex acute and fleshy.
      The disc at the junction of midlobe and lateral lobes is provided of an subquadrate peltate callus.

      Column terete, somewhat arcued, of more 9 mm long.

       Pedicellate ovary 2 cm long.

  
     
Lip and callus of Phalaenopsis equestris (Sweet)
Observations
 

      The time of flowering is hightly variable, but is more marked in february to may and in autumn.
      The color of the segments varies from white to the dark pink/purplish, with suffusions of colors. Lip lateral lobes clearly pink purplished are normally marked of yellow, with 4 or 5 longitudinal strippes of purple dark at the internal face; clearly yellow callus or whitish, more or less dotted of red. Column tinted of pink/purple.
      The plant grow since the sea level until an altitude of 300 meters.
      Phalaenopsis equestris produces "keikis" easily and the ramified stalks give easily flowers several years in continuation. The foliage is very sensitive to a sun excess.
       The shape of the lip midlobe, the purplished stalk and the linked green foliage, without grey discolouration are the elements which distinguishes it from Phalaenopsis lindenii.
      It is well know to be of easy culture.
 
History
 

      Described first of all by Schauer in 1843 under the name of Stauroglottis equestris starting from plants collected by Meyen in Luzon. In 1848, Lindley described under the name of Phalaenopsis rosea this plant collected by Thomas Lobb who worked for the Veitch establishments.

       Very used for hybridization as supplier of pollen.
 
Not recognized varieties but appearing sporadically without precise origins
 
     Phalaenopsis equestris var.leucaspis (Rchb.f 1881)
     Synonym Phalaenopsis rosea var.leucaspis (Rolfe 1886)
     Flowers sometimes smaller. Sepals and petals with a suffusion of purple towards the center. Lateral lobes of lip white with brown horizontal strippes. No yellow marks. Purplished midlobe. Callus white/cream with brown spots. This variety made its appearance in the greenhouses of M.Pescatore in St Cloud near Paris.
 
     Phalaenopsis equestris var.leucotanthe (Rchb.f 1883)
     Synonym Phalaenopsis equestris var.aurantiaca (Gower 1892)
     Very large Flower, near 5 cm. Waxy white sepals and petals, sometimes with suffusions of pink. The midlobe of lip is dark pink , the white lateral lobes with a suffusion of lemon-yellow at base and with pale pink apex. The remainder of the median lobe is orange. Yellow callus brown spotted .
 
Botanical varieties
 
     

     Phalaenopsis equestris var rosea (Valmayor & Tiu 1983)
     Flowers with the segments uniformly pink , lip darker. Also known under the name of equestris "llocos". Flowers are generally smaller than the type, but of a rounder form.
 
 
     
Flowers uniformly white except the callus. Floral poles shorter than at the type. Another alternative has the lateral lobes of lip partially marked of yellow, as well as the callus, the disc, and the higher part of the midlobe. This last can also be spread out more.
 
     Phalaenopsis equestris var. aurea (Christ. 2001)
     White flowers with yellow lip.
 
Average temperature humidity and pluviometry, evolution relating to the Philippines at sea level (area of Manila)