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Phalaenopsis stuartiana (Rchb.f. 1881)
 
 
 
Phalaenopsis of Stuart Low
 
 
Distribution : north of Mindanao (provinces of Agusan and Surigao)
 
 
Principal synonyms

Phalaenopsis schilleriana var.stuartiana (Rchb.f 1882)

Phalaenopsis schilleriana var vestalis (Rchb.f 1882)

Phalaenopsis stuartiana var bella (Rchb.f 1888)

Phalaenopsis schilleriana var.alba (Roebelen 1890)

Phalaenopsis schilleriana subvar. vestalis (Veitch 1891)

 
 
    Stem very short, completely enclosed by imbricating leaf-sheaths.
    Roots many, fleshy, glabrous, compressed, rough, at green-olive tip.
    Leaves very few to many, (+ of 6 in culture), very robust, fleshy, spread out or arcuately pendent, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, solid green above transversely marbled of pale green or silvery gray when young, later of a more uniform green, carinated and purplished below, long from 20 to 30 cm or more, broad from 9 to 10 cm.
     Flower stalk arcuately pendent purplish or brownish green, racemose or paniculate, carrying many flowers, exceeding
60 cm.
     Bracts important, clearer than the stalk.
     Flower well spread out, from 5 to 6 cm, but sometimes smaller, sometimes slightly scented, with the segments directed backwards. Very spread out sepals, dorsal elliptic-oblong, obtuse, of a pure white sometimes with some small mauve point in the lower part, lateral sepals
  obliquely ovate, acute, slightly divergent, the external half of a pure white, sometimes delicately punctuated, the internal half of a pale yellow covered of large purplished points. Petals almost twice broader than the sepals, subrhomboid, very obtuse, of a pure white, sometimes a little punctuated of mauve towards the base.Lip long clawed, almost as long as the sepals, deeply 3-lobed. Lateral lobes fleshy, obliquely obovate-oblong, obtuse, of a yellowish/white punctuated of mauve/purplish. Midlobe of the same color, at cuneate base, then dilated in a limb rhomboid-rounded, narrowed near apex, then dilated again in shape of anchor with two recurvate appendices, broad at their base and subulate at their tip.
Callus between lateral lobes in shape of V with on each division a horn-shaped projection.
Cylindrical column, with two curved lobes on each side of the stigma.
Pedicellate ovary of 4 cm long.		  
Lip and callus of Phalaenopsis stuartiana (Sweet)
 
Observations
 
    Winter flowering or at the beginning of spring.
    Species close by the foliage to Phalaenopsis schilleriana and certain authors thought that it could be a natural hybrid between this last and Phalaenopsis Aphrodite. This plant pushes very often not far from the sea, sometimes exposed to the spray. One finds it until an altitude of 450 meters. Like Phalaenopsis schilleriana, this plant is able to give flowers with profusion.
 
History
 
      Discovered in 1881 per Boxall, collector of the house Hugh Low and Co of Clapton in England and named in honor of Stuart Low. At origin, Reichenbach had named this plant according to Boxall then it had reconsidered its idea by dedicating this plant to Stuart Low.
     Left : Phalaenopsis stuartiana in 'The Orchid World' november 1915.
 
Botanical varieties
 
     Phalaenopsis stuartiana var.bella (Rchb.f 1888)
     With lip largely brown on the midlobe. Stripped lateral lobes.
 
     Phalaenopsis Stuartiana var.punctatissima (Rchb.f 1882)
     Synonym : Phalaenopsis stuartiana var.punctulata (Linden 1885)
     Sepals and petals covered more or less of mauve spots whereas the type presents a dorsal sepal and petals pure white. The clone "Larkin Valley", widely diffused belongs to this group.
 
     Phalaenopsis stuartiana var.nobilis (Rchb.f 1881)
     Flowers definitely yellow. Very rare in culture.
 
Average temperature humidity and pluviometry, evolution relating to the Philippines at sea level (area of Surigao)