Blooming of the Phalaenopsis schilleriana orchid

Blooming of the Phalaenopsis schilleriana orchid

This species usually produce a multitude of flowers during its flowering season, thus it is recommended to clump them in groups for a more majestic display of flowers.  Photo by Dr. N.T. Gerald

One of the most prominent and majestic orchid to bloom this season is the Phalaenopsis schilleriana or locally known as the Tiger orchid.  The orchid name was made in honor  of the German orchid collector Gustav Wilhelm Schiller in whose greenhouse it bloomed for the first time in Europe, thus, it is also called  Schiller’s phalaenopsis.  Locally, it is known among orchid enthusiasts as the Tiger orchid or Tigre due to the tiger-like markings on its leaves.

The orchid usually blooms between February to May as it response to our natural cool evening temperature from December to February.  This species is native to the Philippines and is usually found in southern Luzon and eastern Visayas.  In cool upland areas in southern Luzon like Tanay in Rizal, Lipa in Batangas or in Tagaytay in Cavite, the Tiger orchid blooms spectacularly, producing an arching 1 meter-long spray of more than a hundred scented and pink colored flowers.   This scene is even more magnificent especially if there are more than a hundred plants present!

However, plants cultivated in the lowlands, like that of Metro Manila, would not usually flower this way due to the warm temperature, but instead, produce lots of keikis or plantlets in its floral stems.

The leaves are dark green in color and spotted of silvery grey in upper side, patterned like that of a tiger and uniformly purple in the lower side, about 40 cm long and 8-12 cm wide.

The flowers are 6-8 cm in diameter with sepals of various shades of pink, paler at the edges and speckled of purple at the base, while the petals are of the same color as the sepals but without speckles, the labellum or lip is from white to dark purple in color, with the base of the lateral lobe speckled with red dots.

This orchid is very easy to cultivate.  It is an epiphytic species, usually found growing on tree branches,  with their short stem entirely hidden by the thick fleshy oblong-shaped leaves, and several flat roots.  In cultivation, the plants are usually mounted on clay pots with charcoal, in coconut husks or on wooden slabs .  the plants  thrives in shaded locations, usually exposed to morning or late afternoon sunlight, but protected from direct sunlight with temperature of 18-30 degrees Celsius.  It prefers high humidity of 60-80% and good ventilation, which can be accomplished by providing lots of companion plants.

The Tiger orchid prefers regular watering during summer, but needs to be protected from excessive monsoon rains for else it will rot.  The plant will benefit from s weekly spray of dilute solution of complete foliar orchid fertilizer or a diluted mixture of fish emulsion or washings.

Flowering is induced by subjecting plant to cool night temperatures and a day temperature not exceeding 26 degrees Celsius.  Plants in cooler or elevated regions tend to flower more than those in the lowlands. 

The plant needs to be protected from sucking insects like thrips, mites, aphids, and also from caterpillars which tend to chew on its tender leaves and young inflorescences.  For insect infestation, plants are preferably sprayed with a recommended dose of insecticide and also a weekly spray of dilute fungicide during the rainy season to prevent rotting.  

Floral stems are is usually cut when withered or when the blooming season has completed.  The plant is propagated by removing the plantlets which have developed from the old floral stems.  Commercially, plants are mass produced through seeds, usually in a laboratory using orchid embryo culture technique.

The Tiger orchid is a popular orchid plant among common and specialized orchid enthusiasts, due to its ease of growing and its seasonal show of flowers.  This orchid has been used both in landscaping and also in garden shows as a specimen plant.  The species is also used as a breeding stock in the development of modern Phalaenopsis hybrids of today.