Three unique Philippine Vanda species
The Philippines is richly endowed with Vanda species, a number of which are found throughout the many islands of the archipelago. Other species are of very limited distribution and it is these species which we will write about today. The three species, found only on Luzon, are quite unique because of a couple of features, one being the large fan-shaped labellum, and the other being their mountainous habitat.
Vanda roeblingiana is the most frequently seen species, and it also is the most widely distributed, but still only found in the mountains of central Luzon. It grows at high elevations where it can become quite cool of an evening and night. We do know of plants being grown and flowering in the lowlands of Manila, and this is most remarkable. This species was first named in 1894, by the English botanist/taxonomist Robert Rolfe. He named it in honour of Mr. Charles G. Roebling, (1849 - 1916) of Trenton, New Jersey, in the United States of America. When Mr. Rolfe first described Vanda roeblingiana, the plant was thought to have come from Singapore or Peninsular Malaysia. The first flowering of Vanda roeblingiana, outside of the Philippines, was in the nursery of Messrs. Hugh Low of Clapton in the United Kingdom, in 1893.
Vanda javierae, is one of the most outstanding of all Vanda species. The fact that it is mainly white in colour almost makes it unique. We hasten to add that there is some pale colouration surrounding the entrance to the spur, and these colours are somewhat variable, ranging from yellowish green to mushroom. This species is named for the well-known orchid nursery owner, now retired, Mrs. Alicia Javier. When she was first brought plants, by native collectors she thought that somehow they had been “faked.” A few solid tugs on the inflorescence soon proved that the inflorescences were indeed the real thing. The plant was first described in 1984, by Danilo A. Tiu, but unfortunately his Latin diagnosis was not included with the description in the Philippine Orchid Review. Two German botanists, Hans Fessel and Emil Lückel, formalised the description, in 1990, in the fine German orchid journal Die Orchidee. Vanda javierae is only known from a very small area of central Luzon, where it grows on the trunks and branches of trees at high elevations.
Vanda barnesii was not formally described until 2012, when Dr. Wesley Higgins and Dr. Martin Motes did the honours in the Orchid Digest, a wellknown American publication. The species was known in the Philippines as the red lipped Vanda javierae, even though it is only the side lobes and the base of the labellum which are coloured a brick red, in varying degrees. The sepals and petals are pure white. The plant is named for Mr. Carson Barnes, of the United States of America. Again Vanda barnesii is only known from a very small area of central Luzon, where it grows on the trunks and branches of trees at high elevations. It is also possible that this species occurs on the east coast of Luzon.
Vanda javierae and Vanda barnesii are both rare species that should not be removed from their natural habitat, as they will not grow well, let alone flower, in the oppressive heat of the lowlands. Attempts should be made to grow these magnificent species from seed, in flask, to take the pressure off the plants that remain in the wild.