Phalaenopsis lobbii anglais

Phalaenopsis lobbii (Sweet 1980)

Thomas Lobb's Phalaenopsis

Distribution : India, Bhoutan, Myanmar, Vietnam

**Principal synonym**
Phalaenopsis parishii var.lobbii (Rchb.f 1870)
Phalaenopsis listeri (Berkeley 1887)
Polychilos lobbii (Shim 1982)

      Epiphytic plant.
      Roots numerous, fleshy, glabrous.
      Stem short, completely enclosed by imbricating leaf-sheaths.
      Leaves few, largely elliptic, obliquely notched at apex, being able to exceed 13 cm. long for 5 cm. wide.
      Inflorescence slender, sub-erect, shorter than the foliage with 2 to 6 flowers.
       Bracts small, elliptic, obtuse.

		Flowers of 2 cm, with strong texture, almost fleshy. Dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic, obtuse. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate or sub-orbicular, obtuse. Petals at cuneate base then obovate-subspatulate, obtuse or rounded. Lip with a short claw, adgnate to the column, 3-lobed, a little more shorter than the sepals. Lateral lobes erect, falcate, triangular with a fleshy keel, acute. Mobile midlobe at truncate base, triangular with angles rounded, fleshy, concave. Base provided of a semicircular gibbosity with denticulate margin. At the junction of the lateral lobes and midlobe, one distinguishes a flat fleshy appendix, deeply divided into four thread-like segments. Column short, slightly aruate, 5 mm. long. Pedicellate ovaryof 15 mm.
Lip of Phalaenopsis lobbii (Sweet)

Observations

Flowering in winter and in spring. Sepals and petals white/cream, midlobe of provided of two vertical broad band hazel nut or rust. The base of the column is spotted of brown.
It grow in Boutan, in Assam and in Sikkim at an altitude from 350 to 450 meters with hot and wet summers and fresher and dry winters. The leaves are deciduous on the plants most exposed to the cold. This one survive only if their root system is well developed and installed. This Phalaenopsis requires more light than the majority of the other species.

     La culture est plus facile si la plante est montée en épiphyte. Dans ce cas une humidité atmosphérique soutenue (autour de 60/70%) et régulière est indispensable.
     Imposer à la plante une période de sécheresse plus ou moins prolongée en culture n'est pas nécessaire pour l'obtention d'une floraison normale.
     En pot, il faut utiliser un support de culture très grossier pour un drainage maximum.
     Fleur parfumée.

Historique

Discovered in 1845 by T.Lobb in the east Himalayan. Confused a long time with Phalaenopsis parishii, it however differs from it completely by the structure of the lip.

Botanical variety