Indonesian Black Orchids

Indonesia is a tropical island country that has extraordinary biodiversity. One of them is the endemic of various types of orchids. The two that I want to discuss here are the Papuan black orchid and the Kalimantan black orchid. Both are unique, both are beautiful as well as rare.

The Kalimantan black orchid 

The Kalimantan black orchid (coelogyne pandurata) is a very well-known species of orchid originating from the Malay Peninsula, Kalimantan and Sumatra Island. This black orchid is the mascot of the province of East Kalimantan and is classified as a rare species whose existence is highly protected.

Kalimantan Black Orchid

The black orchid has a black tongue (labellum) with green stripes and hair. Black orchid flowers have a fragrant aroma. These flowers bloom from March to June. The older, the color of the flower will become black  elegant.

In general, this black orchids have a pointed crown. It has a diameter of about 10 cm and flower petals that reach more than 14. The black orchid has sharp petals that reach 5 cm in length.

The original habitat of this type of black orchid is in primary forest which has a fairly high humidity level. It grows in the lowlands on old trees, near beaches or in hot lowland swamp areas and near rivers in wet forests. The black orchid of Borneo is a type of sympodial epiphytic orchid, which is a plant that grows attached to other plants/tree stems that have limited stem growth. Usually grows on fallen tree trunks. These orchid plants live in clusters on each plant. In one clump, these plants will form roots that stay connected to one another.

Black orchids flower at the end of the year, between October and December. When it's spring, this flower can be found in the forest.

Kalimantan black orchid

The process of regeneration of black orchids comes from new shoots emerging from previous plants. This new shoot will grow to a larger size and look bloated on the stem. This swelling of the stem is often called a pseudo tuber. Pseudo tubers function as a place to store water and food reserves. Orchid stems form a pseudo tuber which is round and flat with a length of about 10-15 cm. This black orchid plant has a very charming shape and color. It has pale green petals with black flower tongues and a few green and hairy stripes. The black color on the tongue of this flower is a very rare trait of black.

So that it can be a source of carrying the black color trait needed by plant breeding experts to create new crosses with results that have more attractive flower color patterns. This black orchid has oblong-shaped leaves about 7 cm long and about 2-3 cm wide.

Black orchids reproduce vegetatively and generatively. The vegetative propagation method is by separating the tillers, while the generative propagation is through laboratory tests. The most suitable planting media for black orchids are ferns, coconut fiber and sawdust. Of the three growing media, sawdust is the best growing medium because it is the natural habitat of black orc The black orchid of Borneo has a unique and charming beauty. This of course makes people want to collect black orchids. So that the population of black orchids in the wild is decreasing.

In addition to natural factors that are getting damaged, another factor is that black orchids have a fairly high selling value. As a result, the black orchid population has decreased. The extinction of this species is a big loss for Indonesia's biodiversity.

Many hunt for this plant in the forests of Borneo for collections for flower-loving collectors. Therefore, the government through Government Regulation No. 7 of 1999 stipulates the black orchid as a rare and protected plant. Aiming to prevent the black orchid from total extinction.

Through regulations, the government now prohibits the free trade of black orchids except for cultivation. The Luway Kersik Nature Reserve is located in the province with the capital city of Samarinda. However, the distribution of black orchids in the reserve area is still small. Ironically, part of this nature reserve has become a farming area, such as a rubber plantation owned by local residents.

Apart from that, there are also settlements of residents who live in the nature reserve area which can threaten the existence of black orchids. What's more, posterity will no longer be able to see black orchids.

Papua Black Orchid.

Papua is the easternmost island of Indonesian territory, is an island that rich in biodiversity. One thing that may not be widely known, Papua has a unique and rare plant that can only be found in Papua, namely the Papua Black Orchid.

Papua Black Orchid

The Papua Black Orchid is a type of orchid that is epiphytic, lives attached to other plants but does not harm the host. The main characteristic of the Black Papua Orchid lies in the beauty of the jet-black petals with purplish-pink pistils and stamens. So far, the Papua Black Orchid can only be found in nature, clinging to the tree trunks of the Papuan forests. Several attempts to cultivate this beautiful plant have not been successful. According to experts, the success ratio for breeding the Papuan Black Orchid is very small, which is around 20-30%.

Papua Black Orchid

Diference

The following are the differences between the black orchids of Kalimantan and the black orchids of Papua, namely:

1. The black Papuan orchid has black color in all parts of the flower. Unlike the black Kalimantan orchid, only the flower tongue is black, while the flower petals are green.

2. The black Kalimantan orchid has the same aroma as ordinary orchids. This is different from the scent

Papuan orchids are more fragrant, fragrant, and have unique nuances.

3. Planting black Kalimantan orchid seeds is easy because they are not much different from other types of orchid plants.

Meanwhile, to plant Papuan orchid seeds, you need high expertise because these plants are difficult to maintain.

4. Based on the rarity factor, the black orchid of Papua is rarer than the black orchid of Kalimantan.

Even the black Papuan orchid is one of the plants protected by the Indonesian government.

5. Another factor that distinguishes the black orchids of Kalimantan and Papua is the price of the plant seeds. You can

get a standard price for black orchids kalimantan. But the price of black Papuan orchids is exorbitant, reaching millions of rupiah.