Rarest Beauty in the Philippines
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The Philippines is home to some of the most beautiful and popularly recognized flowers in all of Asia. One of its most popular flowers is the Sampaguita, which is considered today as the national flower of the Philippines. These species of flowers are also known for its medicinal purposes from flower to roots.
However, though Sampaguita is considered as one of the most popular species Philippine flowers, this flower is not only found in the Philippines, but in almost all Asian countries, particularly in China in which the flower is one of the main ingredients of a popular tea called jasmine tea.
Other than sampaguita, there is one flower which is only found in the Philippines. This specific flower is also considered as the most beautiful species of Philippine flowers found around the country. This flower is called the Waling-Waling flower. So what is the waling-waling?
Rarest Beauty in the Philippines
Waling-Waling is a species of orchids which are said to be only found in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao which mostly grows in the foothills of Mount Apo in Davao, Cotabato, and Surigao. The waling-waling is considered to be the “Queen of Philippine flowers” and is worshiped as a diwata by the native Bagobo people. Studies have shown that when raised at high altitude, the plant bears flowers early.
Other than the name waling-waling, these species of Philippine flowers is also called Sander’s Euanthe, after Henry Frederick Conrad Sander, a noted orchidologist.
Scientific name
The waling-waling was given the scientific name Euanthe sanderiana. However, it was originally named as Vanda sanderiana by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach, an ornithologist, botanist and the foremost German orchidologist of the 19th century.
Rudolf Schlechter separated Euanthe from Vanda in 1914 due to structural differences in the flowers. For breeding purposes and registration by the Royal Horticultural Society, however, it is still treated as a Vanda.
Species
The Philippine Orchid Society, which incorporates an image of the flower in its logo, states that the species has three varieties. These are:
Vanda sanderiana var. albata Reichb. f. in Gard. Chron. ser. 3.2 (1887) 9. Esmeralda Sanderiana var. albata Will – The plant’s flower size is smaller than that of the species. Its lateral sepals are yellowish-green with white margins.
Vanda sanderiana var. froebeliana cogn. in Dict. Icon. des. Orch.Vanda t. 12 a (1903) – This variety has bright rose flower stalks and has very large flowers compared to the species.
Vanda sanderiana var. labello-viridi Linden & Rodigas in Lindenia 1:85, t (1885) 40. Esmeralda sanderiana var. labello-viridi Will – This variety is similar to the species, with the exception that the lip or labellum is green with crimson stripes.
Extinction
Hailed as the “Queen of Philippine Orchids,” the waling-waling is considered by many as the country’s best orchid variety due to its many stunning colorful hybrids. This captivating trait led to hunters and orchid collectors from all over the world harvesting the species almost to extinction. The decline was stemmed, however, when tissue culture was performed in order to repropagate the orchid.For more information visit to our site at http://www.myflowerdepot.com
