Found this small Phalaenopsis growing plentifully on trees just beside a stream which used to be clear but now has turned dirty brown due to construction and erosion upstream.
Not totally sure what species it is - Phalaenopsis lamelligera ? Perhaps pantherina...or even a spotted cornu-cervi. I decided to zoom in on the complicated lip to assist identification. In orchids, the lip is usually the landing pad for insect pollinators. I wonder what the 2 small hair-like appendages are for - tickle the pollinator ? And what about the erect structure with narrow via like the eye of a needle ? Quite baffling.
Hopefully, an expert can come along and throw some light on this.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The mystifying lip
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2 comments:
No idea what it is - but fascinated it looks like ir has been dipped in wax.
Wow it's good to see phal in the wild. Thanks for sharing...
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