Waling-Waling

With some 800 to 1,000 species of orchids, the Philippines has one of the richest orchid floras in the world. By contrast, Canada and the United States, including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, have only 325 species among them. One would expect, then, to find orchids almost everywhere in the Philippine forest—as terrestrial orchids on the forest floor or above ground as epiphytes. Most are in fact epiphytic, which is aptly suggested by the Tagalog name dapo sa ahoy("perched on tree limbs").
     One of the most spectacular orchids, found only on Mindanao, is the waling-waling (Euanthe sanderiana). Dubbed the "queen of Philippine orchids," the waling-waling is so very distinct that botanists recently placed it in a separate genus, Euanthe. The waling-waling is widely used in corsages and wedding bouquets, and is also popularamong orchid breeders, who have produced many hybrids.
      The waling-waling was discovered on Mindanao in 1882. Growing to a height of 60 to 120 centimeters, it starts to bloom when it is about 30 centimeters long and has a few sets of flat, channeled, and graceful recurved leaves. It has only one principal stem, only the terminal point of which is active. Flower cluster bears 12 to 16 flowers that open in succession, the blossoms usually lasting for about six weeks. The flower, the largest among Philippine orchids, is seven to twelve centimeters wide, and has a characteristic two-tone look. Closer inspection, however, reveals a change from pale purple blotched with dark reddish-purple at the top to lower sepals that are greenish with a pattern ofnetted lines and purple-crimson spots. The fruit ruptures at ripening, releasing thousands of minute seeds whose germination requires symbiotic association with a certain fungus.

Original URL: http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/vanishing_treasures/V_Wwaling.htm