Waling-waling

Manila, Philippines -  The best known orchid of the Philippines is the Vanda sanderana (botanically known as Euanthe sanderana) or Waling-waling. The species is one of the biggest among Vandas.

Most waling-walings were taken from the forest of Mindanao during the 50’s and 60’s. The Hawaiian breeders did a lot of work during the 60’s and 70’s. The “Cono” strain which measures 6 inches across was bred during this period. The strain came from a population in Quiamba, Cotobato. It is also during this period that the albino forms, Vanda sanderana cv. “Pokai” and cv. “Constance” were developed. Practically all species of Vandas has been bred with Vanda sanderana since then.

Up to the 80’s Vanda sanderana was considered endemic to mainland Mindanao. During the 90’s there were reports of Vanda sanderanas collected from Borneo but the accounts are sketchy and was never documented properly. This is however very interesting in the standpoint of Biodiversity. The author was told by a Singaporean breeder that the Bornean species is open-formed and uninteresting color-wise.

Botanical literature has described only Vanda sanderanas collected from Davao, Cotobato and Lanao Area. There are Vanda sanderanas in other parts of Southern Mindanao.

An ex-resident of Basilan has a collection of Basilan Waling-waling. They were brought home by her husband, a logger during the 50’s and 60’s. The Basilan form of Vanda sanderana is huge in size but open in form with long leaves. The flowers have the form of similar to Arandas. There is also a report of Waling-waling from Tawi-tawi, Sulu.

Flowers

Waling-waling flowers do not have scent. What it lacks in the perfume department, it makes up for in the size and color department.

July is the month the plant pops flower spike on the 7th or 8th leaf from the top and flowers open on 3rd or 4th week onwards. If the rains come early, the plants flower earlier. On dry years, they flower later. Occasionally Waling-walings will give another flush of flowers during Christmas or on February depending in the weather conditions, size or maturity of the plants and presence of Boron. For first time bloomers, expect the flowers on late July to August. 

Culture

Waling-walings were reportedly found on old stands of Ipil (Intsia sp. not Ipil-ipil) and other forest tree species. The roots of the plants ramify and travel up and down the tree trunks. It is this type of root system that insures the survival of the plant. The roots have velamen that absorbs moisture directly from the air during dry season. 

In cultivation, it is the management of the root system that is critical in survival and performance of the plant as a whole. Insufficient roots will result in lower leaf drop characterized by yellowing of the lowest leaves followed by drying and dropping of leaves. This happens when the root system is damaged when plant is uprooted or when roots are heavily pruned. The plant balances the water procurement (i.e. roots) and the water-usage areas (mainly the leaves and flowers).

Waling-walings in nature are protected by the tree canopies, therefore will perform best under shaded conditions. Direct sun exposure may result in sunburns or permanent damage to the plant.

Where the waling-waling comes from, rainy season means daily doses of rains usually afternoons or night time. Rains in Mindanao are an average of 20 to 30 minutes of downpour. This is tantamount to regular watering in Luzon. It can take the moderate amount of rains but not the continues downpour of Eastern Luzon, so that it is better grown under the protection of plastic film (green house). Plants may be watered any time of the day or night.

Plants grown individually in baskets do not have the safety and moisture of tree barks and tend to dry out fast. Light misting of the surroundings during the hottest months will benefit the Vandas. Too wet, and the roots will grow algae. The algae will colonize the velamen grabbing the moisture intended for the plant. The plant go soft and the whole plant desiccates even if ample water is given. Fertilizers will worsen the algae problem. Quaternary ammonium chloride or 10% Bleach sprayed on the roots will solve the problem. 

The key to Vanda culture is maintenance of healthy root system. Application of root hormones suggested by some inexperienced gardeners always results in disaster. Rooting hormone causes splitting of the root system and will result in massive root growth without the corresponding leaf growth. The youngest leaves will turn purple due to activation of reserve sugars and the plant will shrink smaller with every leaf growth. It takes at least 4 years for the plant to outgrow the unsightly stunted portion.

Fertilizer usage is like any other orchid in cultivation. Complete fertilizers should be augmented with Calcium, Magnesium and trace elements. Waling-waling deficient in Boron will take 8 to 12 years to flower. Regular feed with 20ppm Boron will ensure that your waling-waling seedling will flower in 4 to 5 years time from seeds.

Conservation

As we lose the forest to agriculture, we lose the host plants where the waling-walings grow on. Waling-waling is now practically extinct in the wild. It is of best interest to propagate this species in the laboratory. A seedpod may contain around 10,000 seeds, most of which will grow under the protected environment of the laboratory. Future orchid breeders will need this species again and again. Production of orchids in the laboratory is a necessary component of orchid conservation.

There are a few dedicated laboratories propagating the waling-walings and other orchids. There is a need to create more laboratory producers in the Philippines. The commercial trade people are only interested in importing plant merchandise from Bangkok and are not interested in investing in orchid laboratories.

Let us hope that the different plant societies that profess to love our native plants (including orchids) do something about this instead of just talking about it so that we can still see and enjoy this beautiful species in the future.