Oberonia mucronata- a green 'rat-tail' with flowers

Found from Deccan and the Himalayas to Hainan, throughout mainland Southeast Asia to the Indonesian and the Pacific Islands, Oberonia mucronata is one of the most widely spread species in its genus. In the Philippines plants have been found in Bataan, Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Rizal and Sorsogon on Luzon; Mindoro and Palawan islands; Davao and Zamboanga on Mindanao; and the island of Basilan. The species name came from the Latin mucronatus, which means 'tipped with acuminate points', a reference to the teeth on the labellum, which appear as frills. The plant is previously known as O. iridifolia, until the name Stelis mucronata was found out, which represents the earliest known name applied for this species, having been described in 1825 by David Don. Paul Ormerod and Gunnar Seidenfaden made the proper transfer to the genus Oberonia in 1997. The genus name honors the mythical king of the fairies, Oberon.

 

This is one of the more robust species among Philippine oberonias, although the stems are almost non-existent. The 3 to 6 fleshy, knife to sword-shaped leaves grow to 20 cm. long with a width of 1.7 to 2 cm.  Long, arching to pendent inflorescences are up to 38 cm. in length and can carry around a thousand flowers arranged somewhat in whorls or spirals. These tiny green flowers are 1.25 mm. across and odorless, and open progressively backwards on the rachis. Flowering has been observed during the months of January, February, April to May, August to October and December, but a plant only flowers once a year. 

These plants are epiphytic on trunks and limbs of small to medium-sized trees in shady to moderately brightly lit locations in mixed deciduous forests, dipterocarp forests, secondary forests, lower and upper mixed dipterocarp forests and mossy forests at elevations from 170 to 1050 m., although there are also reports of this species occurring as low as 10 m.  

This is one of the easiest to cultivate among Philippine members of this genus and responds equally well whether kept in the lowlands or in cooler conditions due to its wide altitudinal range. They can be attached on suitably sized slabs with mosses or fern roots sparsely and loosely tied around their bases; root and shoot production is normally vigorous. Also, this species is not as prone to base rot as other related species, although some growers do experience difficulties with this species. I think the key to maintaining oberonias is to exercise some restraint with regards to their care. Too often, people get the impression that these plants require moist conditions, but this is often true for only a portion of the year. Furthermore, moist conditions does not equate to the plants having almost continuous moistness around their roots. Such a condition will result in rotting. When one goes out and studies orchids in the wild, he will see that despite frequent downpours, orchid roots are still usually relatively dry or minimally wet, especially if the plants are growing vertically on trunks. My plants are misted about thrice a week, every week, and gets morning sun but otherwise dappled shade the rest of the day. Dilute fertilizer is given every week.

I understand that these tiny-flowered orchids are more popular in European collections than in their native countries. But the flowers' minute intricacies hold a charm that no true orchidophile can resist.