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Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi (Bl & Rchb.f.1860)
From latin cornu-cervi , horn of a deer
Distribution : Sarawak, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Thailand, Nicobar Islands, Myanmar
Principal synonyms

Polychilos cornu-cervi (Breda 1827)

Polystylus cornu-cervi (Hassk 1856)

Phalaenopsis devriesiana (Rchb.f. 1860)

Phalaenopsis lamelligera (Sweet 1969)

     Epiphytic plant, robust, with many roots produced on a rhizome-like stem, fleshy, flexuous, often ramified, glabrous.
     Stem short, completely enclosed by imbricating leafs sheaths.
      Leaves fleshy, oblong-ligulate or oblong-oblanceolate, obtuse or rounded, sometimes at bilobate apex, exceeding 20 cm. long and 4 cm. wide.
      Flower stalk one to several, very variable in lenght, from 9 to 40 cm, cylindrical then slightly compressed laterally, simple or branched, erect or arched. Rachis flattened in zigzag, carrying several fleshy flowers.
       Bracts alternate, distichous, cucullate finishing in hook, dorsaly ducted, 5 mm long or more.
        Fleshy flowers, waxy with well spread out segments. Dorsal sepal obovale elliptic or oblanceolate-elliptic very ducted dorsaly towards the apex. Slightly turned over edges. Lateral sepals slightly oblique, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, acute, also dorsaly ducted at the apex. Petals lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, acute or round, dorsaly thickened towards their apex.
  Fleshy lip, 3-lobed. Lateral lobes directed outwards forwards, sub-quadrangular, with truncated apex behind which one finds a fleshy callus. Lateral lobes confluent with the base of the midlobe to form a semicircular flattened gibbosity. Midlobe in front of the gibbosity duddenly constricted then expending in the shape of anchor, triangular, with irregularly cut out edge, toothed. Acute or obtuse apex, provided beneath whit a protuberance in shape of hook. The center of the gibbosity is provided with an erect linear-oblong appendice, laterally compressed, toothed at its end, being projected ahead. It also carries a bidentate structure, with two acuminate appendices.
Details of lip Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi (Sweet)
      Column fleshy, sometimes arched, cylindrical, sometimes widened close to apex. Basally, each side of the column is provided by a small protuberance.
       Pedicellate ovary of 3 cm.

    The color of flowers varies from yellow to greenish. The segments are variously barred, spotted, or are maculated with brown/red. Sometimes, the flowers are hardly marked of yellow. White or whitish lip, with brown strippes on the lateral lobes and at the base of the column. Yellow column.
      Flowering time is primarily the end of spring and the summer, but well established plants can have flower almost all the year.
     The lip is variable and the median lobe usually does not carry of papillae nor hairs.

      This orchis was observed since the sea level until an altitude of 800 meters. Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi can support an atmosphere drier than the other species. Flowering is more abundant when the foliage is a little yellow and when the plants receive sufficient light. The stalk persists and flowers many years. Certain collector cut them to improve the arrangement of the flowers.

     No plant of Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi arrived alive to Europe before 1864, when Parish sent some to the Low and Co establishments.
     Here some notes concerning the ecology of Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi appeared in 1887 by E.S.Berkeley in the Gardeners' Chronicle.
     " This curious Orchid is found in abundance on the stunted bushes in the swampy islands at the mouth of the river Irrawaddy. In this situation, being exposed to the sun during the dry season, it lose its leaves, its roots being kept plump by the night dews, and it consequently has a distinct resting season. Plants of the same Orchid growing in the shade have no resting season, being a mass of blossom throughout the dry season, and losing none of theit leaves.
       Phalaenopsis Cornu-cervi is found from Akyub north, throughout the whole of burma, down to Tavoy, Mergui and Perak south, in the Mergui Archipelago, and also in Java; occasionally in the hills, abounding in the plains, and flourishing luxuriantly in the dense shade of the forest, where it is protected from dry wind.
      In 1870 the bamboos in the jungle north of the road running from Pegu to Shoagheen flowered, and, as is the habit of many varieties of Bamboos after flowering, the bamboo clumps died and rotted down, thus rendering it possible to penetrate into a forest which had been closed for years. The few scattered trees growing in the bamboo jungle were Mango trees. The trunk of these very shady trees were found covered with huge masses of Phalaenopsis Cornu-cervi, growing in the dense shade, where they had been unmolested for many years. The plants were perfect masses of leaf-growth of extraordinary vigour, and bore such quantities of flowers as would delight an English orchidist. This was the solitary Orchid found in this shady forest, and there is probably no other Orchid that would exist with so little light and sun.
      Most Orchids are found on the outskirts of the forest, where there is plenty of light, or on the top of the trees. The traveller may go for miles in the shade of the forest and never see an orchid. Its appears from this observations that to grow this plants to perfection, a very shady situation is necessary. Unfortunately the poor decideous variety which bears comparatively very poor flowers is the one that survive the journey to England, the large non-decideous one found in the jungle being to soft to travel.
     More informations from Berkeley.


Botanical varieties
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Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi var.picta (Hassk 1856): without spots nor dotted lines, only barred.

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi var flava (Christ 2001): Plain yellow

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi var.sanguinea (Christ 2001) Almost red

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi var.thalebanii (Christ 2001): In 1983, one discovered close of the falls deYaroi in the national park of Thaleban in Thailand Phalaenopsis of appearance identical to Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi , but with flowers much stronger. Named Phalaenopsis thalebanii by Seidenfaden in 1988, it is not recognized by other botanist like a specie.

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi var.flava
Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi var.sanguinea
4 variations on the same topic
Average temperature relative humidity and pluviometry, in Thailand, altitude of 250 meters (area of Kanchanaburi)