More about the Waling-Waling

Although majority of philippine flowers today were only introduced from other continents, from the popular rose to as simple as a santan flower, there are still some species of flowers that are native to the Philippines. One particular species of flower is now considered as an endangered species, pushed to the brink of extinction because of hunters that hunts and sells this flower to collectors. This is the Waling-Waling flower. These flowers are hunted because these species of flowers aren't found in other Asian countries, not unlike the Sampaguita or the Arabian Jasmine. These flowers are only found in the Philippines.

More about the Waling-Waling
The Waling-Waling philippine flowers were given the scientific name as Euanthe sanderiana. Although it was first known as Vanda sanderiana, Rudolf Schlechter separated Euanthe from Vanda in 1914 due to structural differences in the flowers. It has two forms, pink and white, also referred to as alba. For breeding purposes and registration by the Royal Horticultural Society, however, it is still treated as a Vanda.

The Euanthe sanderiana or Waling-Waling is endemic to Mindanao in the provinces of Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is found on the trunks of dipterocarp trees at elevations below 500 meters. Over-collected, the plant is considered rare in nature. It is also often used in hybridization. Studies have shown that when raised at high altitude, the plant bears flowers early compared to those on lower altitude.

Hailed as the "Queen of Philippine Orchids," the waling-waling is considered by many as the country's best orchid variety due to its many stunning colorful hybrids. The captivating trait of these unique philippine flowers led to hunters and orchid collectors from all over the world harvesting the species almost to extinction. The decline was stemmed, however, when tissue culture was performed in order to repropagate the orchid.

Types of Waling-Waling
The Philippine Orchid Society, which incorporates an image of the flower in its logo, states that the species has three varieties:

* Vanda sanderiana var. albata Reichb. f. in Gard. Chron. ser. 3.2 (1887) 9. Esmeralda Sanderiana var. albata Will
o This describes the plant's flower size is smaller than that of the species. Its lateral sepals are yellowish-green with white margins. Its dorsal sepal and petals are white with purple spots at the base. The labellum has purple dots.
* Vanda sanderiana var. froebeliana cogn. in Dict. Icon. des. Orch.Vanda t. 12 a (1903)
o This variety has bright rose flower stalks and has very large flowers compared to the species. The lateral sepals are bright yellow, with rose coloration towards the margins and densely covered with large purple reticulated veins. The dorsal sepal and petals are rose-colored on the upper half, while the lower half has brownish-purple spots.
* Vanda sanderiana var. labello-viridi Linden & Rodigas in Lindenia 1:85, t (1885) 40. Esmeralda sanderiana var. labello-viridi Will
o This variety is similar to the species, with the exception that the lip or labellum is green with crimson stripes.