In the Zebrinae Section of the Phalaenopsis genus Subsection Lueddemannianae is named after Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana. It is dedicated to the gardener of Mrs V. Pescatore who had a large orchid collection in Chateau Celle at St. Cloud, near Paris.

All members of this group are native to the Philippines.
They are widely cultivated and easy to grow.

P. lueddemanniana has firm, waxy flowers of about 4 cm across and the flower color is extremely variable. The clone above is called 'Woodlawn' - a good example of the species.

The form occurring in Celebes Island has smaller spots and somewhat paler colors. Yet another form is called "P. lueddemanniana forma boxallii". Nomenclatural chaos aside, members of this Subsection are widely used in hybridizing for their waxy, firm flower texture and color patterns.

Kingidium decumbens P. F. Hunt (1970.)

The Kingidium genus includes only several species native to India, Burma, Thailand, China, Malaya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippine Islands.

The genus is dedicated to Sir George King, co-author of King, G, Pantling, R.: Orchids of the Sikkim-Himalayas
Annals of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, 1898.

Before settling it down as Kingidium decumbens this orchid has been described under at least seven synonyma scattered over four genera (Aerides, Doritis, Kingiella and Phalaenopsis). I put its image here for its similarity and close relationship to Doritis pulcherrima and Phalaenopsis species.

It is in cultivation since the middle of the XIXth century.
Epiphyte without pronounced rest period: prefers warm, permanently humid, shaded locations.
Its leaves are rather delicate, handle with care!

Native to Sikkim, Assam and Vietnam. Dedicated to G. Mann, who discovered this orchid
in Upper Assam.

Belongs in the Polychilos Section of the genus distinguished by the characteristic lip structure.

P. pantherina has been discovered in Borneo, growig on mossy rocks beside streams. Belongs in the Polychilos Section of the genus.

It has a characteristically flattened rachis similar to the rachis of P. cornu-cervi (Breda) Blume et Reichenbach f. (1860.), much more common in cultivation.

Phalaenopsis pantherina may be identical with P. cornu-cervi var. picta (Hassk.) Sweet (1969.)

Phalaenopsis fasciata (Reichenbach. f.) Sweet (1969.)

Member of the Lueddemannianae Subsection, native to the Philippines.

It is not as common in cultivation than its hybrids are.

Belongs in the Luddemannianae Subsection of the genus.

Widely distributed species occurring in Malaya, Sumatra and Borneo. Prefers warm, shady, moist places, next to streams and rivers.

Flowers are 4-6 cm across and color is variable. Plants from Borneo have the boldest flower colors and pure white form is also known.

The form called "coerulea" is shown below.

  Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica (Reichenbach f.) Sweet (1969.)

Yet another member of the P. lueddemanniana complex elevated to species rank more than eighty years after being described by Reichenbach f. as only a variety of a highly variable species.

Its recent "promotion" is justified by occurring only in Palavan and Polillo Islands of the Philippines, has distinct color pattern and there are some minute differences in the details of the anatomical structure of its lip as well.

Epiphyte, possessing coarse, fleshy roots - try cultivating it mounted!

Doritis pulcherrima Lindley (1833.)

In the orchid literature one can find several species names in the Doritis genus but the perhaps more realistic concept is recognizing only one, widely distributed and for this reason variable species.
These plants are native to South China, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Malaya and North Sumatra. The first specimen used by Lindley to describe this orchid for science was imported to Britain from Vietnnam.

Doritis is one of the synonyms of Aphrodite, goddess of love in Greek mythology, "pulcherrima" means "most beautiful".

Doritis is terrestrial, prefers deep, permanently moist yet still well aerated substrate but otherwise culturally not really different from Phalaenopsis species and hybrids.

Doritis pulcherrima has flower colors ranging from white to deep pink, the form shown here is often called as "var. coerulea", i. e. blue, which is not exactly true... Nevertheless, this so-called 'Little Bluebird' clone at right is nice.

Doritis pulcherrima var. buyssoniana is a tetraploid mutant having flowers double the size of the normal plants. That mutant was and is used to introduce its pink color into many Doritaeniopsis (Doritis X Phalaenopsis) hybrids.