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The Panther-Like
Phalaenopsis
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Reichenbach
described a yellow plant spotted of red points, from where the name
allotted to this species
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Distribution
: Bornéo, Sarawak, îles Labuan
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Original description
Phalaenopsis pantherina (Botanische Zeitung 1864 page 298)
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Leaves rather many, fleshy, green, oblong, ligulate or oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, sometimes at bilobate apex, from 18 to 20 cm long , from 4 to 5 cm wide, dorsally carinate.
Flower stalk green, erect or slightly arcuate twice longer or more than the leaves, cylindrical, rachis flattened and in zigzag, sometimes ramified.
Bracts ovate-cucullate, hamate (finishing in hook), of more than 5 mm long.
Flowers very few, of strong texture, the segments are largely spread out, waxy. Sepal dorsal lanceolate or lanceolate-elliptic, acute, dorsally carinate toward apex, revolutate towards base. Lateral sepals obliquely lanceolates-subspatulate, acute, also dorsally carinate towards apex, strongly asymmetrical, once and half broader than the dorsal sepal and a little longer. Petals almost with right angle with the dorsal sepal, identical to this last, but a little shorter and less dorsally carinate towards apex. Revolutate at base.
Lip shorter than the petals (2/3), 3-lobed. Lateral lobes erect and parallel, sub-quadrangular, with truncated apex. The midlobe is initially narrow, then it widens abruptly to form an anchor with slightly and irregularly notched external sides . Apex carinate below. The middle of the former lobe is provided of a small callus slightly hairy. At the confluence of lateral lobes and midlobe, one observes a horizontal semicircular gibbosity.
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The middle
of this gibbosity is provided of an erect appendix, oblong-linear,
laterally flattened , truncated, white stripped of mauve. Another
fleshy structure,plate-like, is slightly behind this gibbosity.
Each side of this formation is provided of a lengthened lash surrounding
the preceding appendix on both sides. In the middle, yellow, one
distinguishes also a small |
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Phalaenopsis pantherina.
Details (Sweeet)
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Sepals
and petals greenish yellow to greens, strongly punctuated and barred
of brown or brown/cinnabar. Lateral lobes of lip white, striated internally
with mauve, marginate and slightly dotted mauve at base, inside and
outside. One easily distinguishes Phalaenopsis pantherina from Phalaenopsis Mannii by the long isthmus which attaches the midlobe of lip and insertion with right angle between the petals and the dorsal sepal. It differs from Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi by the shape of the lip. Phalaenopsis pantherina is frequently found on the high parts of tropical forest where it is found exposed with a relatively important luminosity. It was observed sea level up to 800 meters of altitude. Flowering is done throughout the year, with a peak in spring and beginning of summer. |
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Details of lip and isthmus
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Left Phalaenopsis pantherina,
right Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi.
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