P. hainanensis?

[goodgollymissmolly]

From KEW


Name Overview

Phalaenopsis regnieriana Rchb.f., Gard. Chron. 1887(2): 746 (1887).
This name is accepted.
Distribution: Thailand
41 THA
Lifeform: Epiphyte
Family: Orchidaceae
Original Compiler: R.Govaerts

All orchids require the permission of the government of origin for import into the US. So for example, if the Japanese got and reproduced a Chinese plant without Chinese permission, they could not send it into the US. But my understanding is that other countries including most of Europe and Canada allow import if Japan were to approve export. I'm not totally certain about the details and I sure don't want to start false info on the Internet. It's already bad enough without my help, but certainly Europe can get plants I can't get.

regneiriana and robinsonii are certainly rare as hens teeth and may not exist, but they are accepted by KEW.

[bethmarie]

Louisiana Orchid Connection has this one labelled P. hainanensis for $60. It's a bit out of budge for me, but looks a lot like the one I was hoping to find. what do you think, Molly, Naoki. Is it indeed a hainanensis?
Louisiana Orchid Connection - STORE ....just scroll down a few plants to see it.

[goodgollymissmolly]

At this time, hainanensis is considered a synonym stobartiana. The plant pictured at LOC is most likely stobartiana (hainanensis) based on form and the green color. stobartiana is the only green Phal.

LOC is very knowledgable about Phal species and I would tend to trust their ID's in all cases.

I bought one of the malipoensis from them recently and they guaranteed its ID. I had bought two elsewhere that turned out to be lobbii. The $250 was cheap versus buying the wrong thing twice and wasting time raising it to blooming to find out it is something else.

If you don't mind a suggestion, the stobartiana is difficult to grow (as are all Aphyllae) versus most other Phals. Unless you are very confident about growing the potentially deciduous species and the cost is a stretch get something else. The lobbii is easier and the kunstleri is interesting and somewhat easier also.

[naoki]

I should check the most recent species definition which googgollymissmolly told me. It's quite different from what I have been referring to. So orginally, I thought LOC was misidentifying P. hainanensis, but if it is synonym. to stobartiana, then it does look like it (although I thought stobartiana is generally deeper green). LOC sells some of them in ebay, I think their name is laorchidjohn. Sometime (not always), it's cheaper in ebay.

Goodgollymissmolly, is P. stobartiana more difficult than other Aphyllae? I'm mounting my P. wilsonii with minimum amount of sphag on top of it (so I can minimize covering up the photosynthetic roots). It's actively growing roots, but the leaves are getting a little dehydrated even with daily watering. I think that my grow tent was also too hot for it (65F night, 85F day), so I moved to a cooler enclosure (60F night, 80F day).

P. lobbii and P. malipoensis (not sure if this is the real one or not) seems to be easier. Even though people recommend mounting for photosynthetic root of P. lobbii, it seems to grow well in a pot culture (one of the Japanese Phal. species collectors said that he can grow it in pots). I avoid mounting in general so I don't have to water so frequently, but P. wilsonii and P. malipoensis, I had to mount.

Any tips on growing those, goodgollymissmolly? Do you intentionally rest them in the winter? I got them this summer, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the winter.

[goodgollymissmolly]

I think the green in the stobartiana looks about typical and yes, hainanensis is green unlike the pics in Christenson's book. I don't think stobartiana is among the most difficult of the Aphyllae, but it is more difficult than non Aphyllae Phals.

I don't think your temps are out of line, even the higher ones. We frequently can't get below 70 at night in the summer and pretty much live with 85 in the daytime without any problems.

I'm not sure that photosynthesis of roots is all that important. Most of our mounts are moss covered (unlike the pic below of lobbii) and the plants grow really well. It seems to me the quick draining of the mounts is their most important quality. They are watered every day.

As to rest...Christenson mentions and we practice making every effort not to rest these possible deciduous species. If they drop their leaves they spend all the next year growing new leaves. I understand that in the monsonal natural climate they have evolved to go deciduous only if dryness requires it. It isn't necessary to their life cycle. In our experience that is true and if you want to grow a specimen plant you need to avoid going deciduous. The only one that has not grown gangbusters for us is finleyi (sometimes wrongly named minus). I think something else was wrong with it and now we have a new one to work with.


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Phal lobbii LUR_4932 by kentucky4, on Flickr

[bethmarie]

Thanks for the heads up about hainanensis/stobartiana being more difficult to grow. I'll leave those to the experts for now and enjoy the pictures. I'm growing bellina and violacea with at least initial success, and I've heard those can be touchier than hybrid phals. Think I'll stick with and learn from what I have right now.