Phalaenopsis javanica J.J. Smith

Taxonomy
Phalaenopsis javanica J.J. Smith, Orchidaceae. The Genus Phalaenopsis is epiphytic, characterized by very short stems, and monopodial growth, with broad leaves and usually long, many-flowered inflorescences. There are just over 40 species (Comber, 1990), their range extending from India to China, South-East Asia, New Guinea and Australia.

J.J. Smith originally described P. Javanica in the Bull. Jard. Bot. Bull. Ser. 2, 26:77 (1918). Published information about P. Javanica is very limited. Sweet (1980) and Comber (1990) published two small reports on the species. According to Sweet (1980), the species was first recognized in 1914 from a collection in the Royal Botanic Garden, Glasnevin, Ireland by Sir F.W. Moore.

Description
Leaves are more or less oblong, undulate and a bit thinner than the others of the same genus, each plant produces 2-8 leaves, 20-28 cm x 8-13 cm; bright green with a shiny surface. Flowers are arranged on a inflorescence, on pedicels which gradually lengthen as the flowers appear in succession. At the time the flower bud emerges it appears sessile, but the pedicel develops and continues extending while the bud develops, reaching up to 2.5 cm in length. Sepals and petals 1-1.3 cm x 1.5-2.0 cm, white but sometimes varying from white to greenish-yellow, marked with longitudinal stripes consisting of numerous small brownish purple spots giving the whole an attractive appearance. The white lip has a purple apex, hairy at the tip of the apex. Flowering is not simultaneous, with only 1-3 flowers on each peduncle blooming at a time. If the plant is healthy, a single stalk can produce more than 10 flowers. Flowers mostly face downwards and do not fully open. Flowers are about 3-5 cm across the lateral sepals. P. Javanica does not have a flowering season, so can produce flowers throughout the year. Each flower can bloom for about 2 weeks, however, if pollinated they last 7 days before wilting and the spur inside the pedicel begins to swell. Fruits are ca. 7.5-8.5 cm long, 3.0-3.5 cm diameter, and contain numerous seeds.

Distribution and Habitat
P. Javanica is endemic to West Java. Comber (1990) reported that this species was originally collected in South Garut, West Java. It is found at altitudes from 700-1000 m in south-eastern parts of West Java.

In 1975, a team from Bogor Botanic Garden collected P. Javanica on a mountain in South Cianjur where it occurred in some abundance in the forest. Unfortunately, all the collections made at that time have since died. In 1992, staff from Bogor Botanic Garden returned to South Cianjur in search of P. Javanica and found local people selling wild-collected plants. At present, Bogor Botanic Garden has 10 specimens in cultivation.

Conservation Status
P. Javanica is rare, and is threatened in the wild by the excessive exploitation by local people for sale to collectors. Another major threat is loss of habitat due to conversion of forested land and forestry. The staff of the Bogor Botanic Garden are undertaking a conservation programme to assist the survival of the species. Unfortunately, germination of seeds has to-date been unsuccessful. Attempts to propagate the species by both seeds and vegetative parts are still being undertaken.

The Indonesian Botanic Gardens (with branches in Bogor and Cibodas (West Java), Purwodadi (East Java), and Bali have collections of 12 species, originally collected from various islands in Indonesia. Of these species, 8 are listed by WCMC as threatened globally or in part of their range:

Only 2 species are endemic, P. Javanica from Java and P. Gigantea from Borneo.

References
Comber, J.B. 1990. Orchids of Java. Bentham-Moxon Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Pp. 406. Sweet, H.R. 1980. The Genus Phalaenopsis. Day Printing Corp., Pomona, California. Pp. 78-79.