Calanthe | Herbarium Digital Library


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Calanthe

Category: Plants and Orchids
Date Posted: 2006-10-13

SPECIES OF THE GENUS CALANTHE ARE COMMON MEMBERS OF the native Philippine orchid flora and approximately fifteen species of the sixty which comprise this genus are indigenous to the Islands.

The genus is closely allied to the Phajus group, but differs in one peculiarity, namely, that the claw of the lip is in most cases connate or grown together with the column. Many of the species of Calanthe have small but striking or attractive flowers and even the foliage is of ornamental value. The Calanthes or "beautiful flowers," as the generic name means, are many flowered terrestrials with erect racemes. Two distinct groups within this genus are recognized and these are represented in the Philippines by C.furcata and C.Elmeri.

Calanthe furcata is the most common native Calanthe. This plant has small partially exposed pseudo-bulbs with plicate or plaited dark green leaves and long terminal flower scapes. The flowers develop at the top of the spike in a head like raceme of about thirty white or yellowish flowers. Each one is about 1 1/2 inches long; they are very fragile, turning blue and later black when damaged. The most attractive part of the flower is the lip which resembles a dancing girl. Its side lobes are horizontal and the middle lobe is bipartite or split in the middle and curved like a ballerina dress. The spur is slender, white and shorter than the ovary. C. f urcata is a common plant found throughout Luzon as well as other lands of the Archipelago and is one of the plants that can be grown only in shade. It flowers from April through August and the specific name, f urcata, refers to the forked lip of the flower.

C. Elmeri is an attractive species with a pseudo-bulb that is constricted in the middle. These plants have large constricted pseudo-bulbs which are conspicuously six-ridged and wider below the constriction than above. Their leaves are absent at the time of flowering and the flowers, which are pinkish-red and smaller than C. furcata are about one inch long and three-quarters of an inch wide.

This species has been collected by the authors along the Naguilan road Benguet sub-province in northern Luzon. The plant flowers during October and the specific name is in honor of Dr. Elmer, to whom it was dedicated.