Phaius wallichii

Phaius wallichii Lindl., Pl. Asiat. Rar. (Wallich). 2(7): 46, t. 158 (1831).

Phaius wallichii Lindl. Photo by Chu Xuan Canh

its native range is Indian Subcontinent to S. China and Indo-China. 

Latin Name: 

Phaius wallichii Lindl.

Family: 

Orchidaceae Juss.

Synonym:

Phaius bicolor Lindl.

Phaius magniflorus Z.H.Tsi & S.C.Chen

Phaius roeblingii O'Brien

Phaius sanderi Mast.

Vietnamese name:

Lan Hạc đính.

English Name:

Wallich's Phaius (Danish Botanist and Orchid Collector 1800's). -

Chinese name:

Hua He Ding Lan - 大花鹤顶兰.

Description: 

With fusiform to cylindric-ovoid pseudobulbs carrying about 4, green, oblong-elliptic, plicate, glabrous, acuminate leaves that blooms in the later spring on an erect, glabrous, to 100 cm long, to more than 10 flowered inflorescence arising from the lower nodes on the pseudobulb and has caducous, ovate-lanceolate, glabrous floral bracts and carrying widely opening flowers.

Distribution:

Assam, Bangladesh, China (Hong Kong, Xizang, S Yunnan), East Himalaya, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam (Sơn La, Lai Châu, Bắc Kạn).

Ecological:

In dense forests along ravines at elevations of 900 to 1300 m as a large sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial.

Flowering times:

Blooms in the summer.

Flower size:

14.0  cm.

Cultivation:

Terrestrial orchid:

Unlike the cattleya or familiar corsage orchid, the Phaius is a terrestrial orchid plant, which means, they grow in soil.

Moisture:

Phaius require moisture at all times. Don’t try to increase humidity by wetting the foliage, as the leaves are water-sensitive and may be damaged.

On hot summer days, however, the foliage may be lightly mist-sprayed, but don’t overdo it and be sure leaves dry by evening.

Light:

Required good light but direct sunlight should be avoided. The nun’s orchid will get along with a somewhat less humid atmosphere than cattleyas.

Typus:

Silva, F.de [3747] K000974168 Unknown type material

Reference: 

- theplantlist.org

- https://www.ipni.org/n/650493-1

- http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:650493-1

- http://www.orchidspecies.com/phaiuswallichii.htm.

- https://thuocdongduoc.vn/chi-phaius-lour-1790

- http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242424277

- https://plantorchid.wordpress.com/2016/07/01/phaius-wallichii/