Australian Orchid Foundation

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Project: 302/2015

 

Title: Phalaenopsis rosenstromii, its systematics, distribution, conservation and propagation.
Applicant: Dr. Ashley Field
Institution: Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University, Queensland. 

 

Phalaenopsis rosenstromii F.M.Bailey is an epiphytic orchid that occurs in several very limited areas of tropical Queensland that is closely related to P. amabilis from Malesia.

Gus Rosenstrom discovered this species in Australia in the 1930’s near Daintree but following a frenzy of collection for its beautiful flowers discovered this species became locally very rare. The Australian Orchid Foundation research trips in the 1970’s discovered populations of P. rosenstromii over a broader range but it is still considered Engangered. Although it is now protected, it is still under threat from being illegally collected.

This project has four main aims:-

  1. to resolve the identity of the Australian Phalaenopsis population with respect to P. amabilis from Malesia;
  2. to map and model the extant populations and identify populations that need to be reserved;
  3. to re-assess the Endangered status of P. rosenstromii;
  4. to collect seed and micro-porpagate P. rosenstromii for an ex situ conservation reserve.”