Phalaenopsis wilsonii (Rolfe 1909)
 
 
Wilson's Phalaenopsis
 
Distribution : China (Yunnan, Szechuan), east Tibet
Synonym

Phalaenopsis minor ( F.Y.Liu 1988) ?
phalaenopis chuxiongensis (F.Y. Liu 1996) ?
Lip of Phalaenopsis wilsonii (Sweet)
     Plant epiphyte or lytophyte with many roots, long, well developed, fasciculate, fleshy, flattened, glabrous, with a chlorophyllian function.
      Very short stem, less than 1 cm.
      Leaves usually absent at flowering, very reduced, rather similar to bracts, when present 2,5 cm long , 9 mm broad (from Sweet, but more large in reality), oblong-elliptic, acute.
      Flower stalk variable in length, sometimes of more than 20 cm, but very often shorter, arcuate or pendent, right or in zigzag, very slender, few flowered, without ramifications.
      Bracts ovate, cucullate, acute, of more than 8 mm.
      Flowers with delicate texture, from 4 to 5 cm, largely spaced, very few, from one to three.

   Dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic, acute or sub-obtuse. Lateral sepals oblique, identical to dorsal sepal, acute. Petals elliptic oblong-ovate, obtuse or rounded.
    Lip 3-lobed, almost equal to sepals. Lateral lobes sickle-shaped, oblong, very distinctly folded at apex and provided below of a fleshy callus. Midlobe at base cuneate, ovate, at apex very distinctly bilobate, provided of a large callus ovoid. Disc between lateral lobes provided of a pair of superimposed callosities, the basal callosity grooved longitudinally in its middle, then forked in front, the anterior one at the junction of the midlobe and lateral lobes, rhomboid, bilobed in front, canaliculate in middle. Sometimes, two callosities meet in only one.
     Column fleshy, erect, sub-cylindrical with a very long stigmatic cavity (1 cm).
     Pedicellate ovary of 4 cm long.
Observations
    Spring flowering. Pink petals and sepals, darker at the base, however the color can vary white/pinkish to pink. Lip violet/purple. White column. Flower with perfume of orange tree blossom.
    The plant grow on trees or rocks, in zones constantly subjected to a very strong moisture, at altitudes varying from 800 m to 2150 m, which imposes to him diurnal temperatures of 23/25°c and night temperatures of 14 to 17°C. Cultivated like the other species of Phalaenopsis, the plant decays slowly.
     Contrary to the description of Sweet (made on a specimen of herbarium?), the leaves of Phalaenopsis Wilsoni are developed. They reach or exceed 7,5 cm length for a width of 2,5 cm. They are not deciduous in culture. The floribondity is also much more important.
     A confusion exists with Phalaenopsis honghenensis. This last as shorter inflorescences, with 4 to 6 flowers and the midlobe is oblong.
     Phalaenopsis wilsonii could perhaps also be present in Viet-Nam.
      Collected by Wilson.
 
Average temperature relative humidity and pluviometry, evolution in Yunnan, 1600 meter of altitude area of Tengchong
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Français